By Lindsey Boyd: (@lindsboyd3 ):
San Jose State men’s basketball (3-17, 0-9 MW) gave the Wyoming Cowboys (14-7, 5-3 MW) a run for their money, as the perfect comeback story was written … except for the comeback. The Spartans fell 90-86 in overtime.
After miraculously turning a 17-point deficit into a tie game first with 98 seconds left and then again with .4 seconds in regulation, San Jose State forced the Cowboys to stay inside the Event Center for five more minutes.
Lack of execution, poor shot selections and maybe a bit of overtime-inexperience cost the Spartans the game, dipping to 0-9 in Mountain West play.
It was the fifth time all year (program record) and second time in as many games the Cowboys have been involved in extra minutes of basketball.
Junior Ryan Welage put up one of the best individual scoring performances in Spartan history, dropping a career-high 37 points (five points fewer than single game-record in SJSU history), to go along with seven rebounds and three assists.
It took every minute as Welage didn’t sit on the bench at all Saturday afternoon.
“I’m really not that tired,” Welage said after the game. “…I just played as hard as I could while I was there.”
The first half stats don’t jump off the page. Down 14 at the break, SJSU allowed 15 points off turnovers and was -24 in the bench points category. The second half however, was a whole different story.
“I think we got into a rhythm in the second half, that’s why we shot 53 percent in the second half,” head coach Jean Prilou said after the tough loss. “I thought we were tremendous in our competitiveness and our drive and our will to get back in the game and we had a chance…”
SJSU quickly cut it to a two possession game within the first eight minutes of the second half.
By the time crunch time arrived, all eyes were on senior point guard Jalen James, who turned the ball over with the game tied and under 10 seconds left, one of five he had for the game.
James made up for it however, as he got the inbound from Keith Fisher and took it coast-to-coast, finishing on the other end, tying the game at 77 with .4 seconds left.
“I knew I had to finish, I had no other option,” James said.
The veteran was a point, a rebound and two assists shy of a triple double in 42 minutes of action. Starters Keith Fisher and Ashtin Chastain also put up big numbers, doing the dirty work to keep the Spartans in the game.
In total, the Spartans out-rebounded the Cowboys 40-29 and put up 22 points from the free throw line, two huge stats for the team.
Every ingredient for a good game was there, but SJSU cooled down on offense and left wide open lanes on defense late.
“I have great confidence in our players,” Prioleau said moving forward. “They are frustrated ‘cause they want to win and they understand how close they are to winning.”
Close but still no cigar for the Spartans. It’s onto the next game for the men as they hit the road to face UNLV Wednesday at 8 p.m.
