By Mohamed Bafakih (@Moe_Fresco):
Returning from a four-game road trip, San Jose State got an unexpected addition as it welcomed back forward Brandon Mitchell, but it wasn’t enough in a 76-62 loss Sunday afternoon inside The Event Center.
It was a perfect night for the three-year basketball letterman who was just on turf less than a month ago for the football team.
His team-high 17 points on 6-for-6 shooting couldn’t carry the Spartans throughout, as South Dakota’s (11-3) dominant second half propelled the Coyotes to victory.
“Just talking to my parents, they were just like, ‘You’re young, you know, 23, you know. So just live life to the fullest,’” Mitchell said on his return to the hardwood. “Just continuing to do what I love — I love football just as much I love basketball — and I’m just blessed to be able to do both and thankful San Jose State allowed me to do both.”
His energy was felt from the moment he checked in at the 13:20 mark of the first half as the crowd applauded, until the final buzzer to cap off his 23 minutes of action.
Up 13-12 when Mitchell came off the bench, the Spartans (2-8) put together a 13-2 scoring run in five minutes. He accounted for five points, three rebounds and two blocks during that span.
“Fresh off the bench and fresh out of football, I don’t think none of us was expecting this performance,” said redshirt freshman Keith Fisher on Mitchell’s debut. “He came out, played as hard as he could. He gave so much energy and that helped pick us up in so many different ways.”
SJSU’s 12-point lead squandered in the final eight minutes however, after leading 37-33 at the break.
Head coach Jean Prioleau summed up the tale of two halves as unstable.
“It totally just flipped over, which is a sign of an inconsistent team,” Prioleau said.
North Dakota’s leading scorer Matt Mooney finished with 18 points, but was just 3-for-8 shooting in the opening period. He and junior forward Tyler Hagedorn, who finished with a season-high 27 (6/8 3FG), took over the second frame.
The Coyotes outscored the Spartans 43-24 behind 30 points from the duo on 8-of-10 shooting from downtown.
“I look at it on the defensive and rebounding aspect of things,” Prioleau said. “We rebounded the ball, we were plus-five (35-30 advantage), but we didn’t guard.”
On a five-game losing skid, SJSU will hit the road for the next two games as it visits crosstown rival Santa Clara before opening up conference play at Utah State on Dec. 27.
