By Haddy Barghouti (HB_SportsBeat) – Senior Staff Writer | Redshirt sophomore forward Adrian Myers looks to make a play while guarded by Cowboys junior guard Khaden Bennett during SJSU’s 88–78 loss. (Photo by Marilyn-Bride Anye — The Spear)
San Jose State men’s basketball (8-23, 3-17 MW) closed out its regular season with an 88-78 loss to Wyoming (18-13, 9-11 MW) on Tuesday night at home on senior night.
The Spartans honored senior forwards Sadraque NgaNga, who spent the past two seasons with the program, and Yaphet Moundi, who did not play and has now missed his 18th straight game due to a lower leg injury.
SJSU fell behind early and trailed 49-36 at halftime after facing a 21-point deficit in the first half. The Spartans closed the opening period on an 8-0 run, capped by a contested jumper from junior guard Colby Garland over Wyoming junior guard Uriyah Rojas.
Garland led the way for the Spartans with 24 points, marking his 10th straight game with 20 points or more.
Redshirt sophomore forward Adrian Myers added 17 points on 7-of-11 shooting, including SJSU’s final made 3-pointer with just over 10 minutes remaining in the second half.
Freshman guard Melvin Bell Jr. also scored 17 points, his second-highest total of the season behind a 22-point performance Jan. 17 against UNLV.
Despite the late push, the Spartans struggled to find consistent offensive rhythm. SJSU went 0-of-5 from 3-point range in the first half and finished just 2-of-9 from beyond the arc, extending its cold stretch to three games after going 5-of-22 in Tuesday’s 82-68 loss to Fresno State.
Wyoming, which entered the game ranked fourth in the Mountain West in 3-point defense, limited the Spartans on the perimeter. The Cowboys also shot 9-of-19 from beyond the arc.
Rebounding also proved costly. It took the Spartans until less than three minutes remained in the first half to secure their first defensive rebound, and they were ultimately outrebounded 31-21.
“We just didn’t get any stops. There weren’t defensive rebounds to be had in a way, and rebounding is not about size, it’s about your quickness to the ball,” SJSU head coach Tim Miles said.
The Cowboys also dominated in bench scoring, putting up 41 bench points compared to just four from the Spartans.
Miles pointed to defensive lapses and inconsistency as areas of concern.
“We need to understand how to come out with a determined effort where we trust everybody that’s on the floor and we do all the things that we need to do, because you can see us fragment out,” Miles said. “Some guy missed an assignment, another guy kind of gets grumpy about it.”
Still, the Spartans showed resilience in the second half, trimming the deficit to 10 after trailing by as many as 21.
“I saw some pride in the program itself. I saw guys with much better effort and determination and resilience because you can shut it down, and I’m glad we didn’t,” Miles said.
Wyoming was led by freshman forward Gavin Gores, who scored 20 points on 7-of-7 shooting. Sophomore guard Damarion Dennis added 15 points for the Cowboys.
The Spartans finished the regular season on a three-game losing streak and will turn their attention to the Mountain West tournament. SJSU enters the 2026 Mountain West Men’s Basketball Championship as the No. 11 seed and will open play at 8:30 p.m. Wednesday. Its opponent has yet to be determined.
