By Haddy Barghouti (HB_SportsBeat) – Senior Staff Writer | Junior guard Colby Garland directs the offense while being guarded by Lobos senior guard Luke Haupt during SJSU’s 93–77 loss in the quarterfinals. (Photo by Alex Stoev — The Spear)
San Jose State men’s basketball (9-24, 4-18 MW) saw its season end Thursday night with a 93-77 loss to New Mexico (23-9, 14-7 MW) in the quarterfinals of the Mountain West Tournament at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas, Nev.
SJSU stayed within reach early and trailed just 43-36 at halftime, but the Lobos’ efficient second-half shooting and dominance inside proved too much to overcome.
New Mexico opened the game on an 8-0 run, fueled by a Lobo-heavy crowd that made its presence felt throughout the night. The Spartans responded, taking their first lead at 15-14 after a layup from senior forward Sadraque NgaNga. Moments later, junior guard Colby Garland came up with a steal and lobbed the ball ahead to freshman guard Melvin Bell Jr. for an alley-oop that energized the SJSU bench.
The first half featured 12 lead changes, and the Spartans continued to find answers offensively. It was tied 33-33 with just over three minutes remaining before the Lobos closed the half on a 10-3 run. A fast-break basket by senior guard Luke Haupt and a 3-pointer from senior guard Deyton Albury gave New Mexico momentum heading into the break.
New Mexico shot 52% from the field in the first half and caught fire after halftime, hitting 67.7% in the second half to pull away. The Lobos controlled the paint, outscoring SJSU 56-24 inside, and won the rebounding battle 38-24.
“I can’t blame it on the fatigue. We’ve got to get it done,” Garland said. “It’s March. We don’t have many bodies, but we can’t make excuses for us.”
SJSU was playing less than 24 hours after an 84-74 win over Boise State in the opening round, and the short turnaround combined with a limited rotation caught up with the Spartans in the second half.
After SJSU ran into foul trouble, with sophomore forward Adrian Myers and Garland picking up four fouls, New Mexico capitalized. Operating on a six-man rotation and without four regular-season starters, the Spartans struggled to keep pace as the Lobos stretched the lead to as many as 22 points.
“We’ve been in foul trouble a whole bunch. We played six guys, and that hurt us,” SJSU head coach Tim Miles said. “It’s a physical game. We’re trying to play a physical team that’s got more size and strength than we do, and so you’re going to be behind the plays a little bit.”
Sophomore guard Jermaine Washington echoed that assessment, crediting New Mexico’s physicality and rebounding from the opening tip. He finished with 11 points and kept the offense flowing with six assists, consistently moving the ball and creating opportunities for his teammates.
He also provided an early spark, knocking down a four-point play seven minutes into the first half.
“They’re a great team,” Washington said. “Rebounding, dig in, start from the jump. Let’s not get down in the beginning. Try to stay as close as we can.”
Freshman forward Tomislav Buljan led New Mexico with 25 points and 14 rebounds, shooting 10-of-11 from the field.
Garland paced the Spartans with 20 points, marking his 12th consecutive game scoring 20 or more points while adding seven assists. Myers finished with 19 points, including three 3-pointers, while NgaNga contributed 15 points and three 3s.
The Lobos’ defense forced 13 SJSU turnovers, compared to the six turnovers the Spartans committed in their win over Boise State.
“I thought we battled early even though we didn’t get off to a very good start,” Miles said. “You knew you were eventually going to manage some tiredness and fatigue, but we really didn’t get a chance to do that because of our turnovers.”
The Spartans now head into the offseason with questions about roster continuity. Despite the early tournament exit, SJSU has won at least one Mountain West Tournament game in each of the past two seasons.
