By Allison Covey (@allisoncovey ):
Junior guard Jaycee Hillsman’s career-high 24 points was not enough for San Jose State against Wyoming, as the Cowboys knocked out the Spartans in the first round of the Mountain West Tournament, 61-74.
Of SJSU’s 61 points scored, junior Ryan Welage and Hillsman had a combined total of 49, accounting for 80 percent of them.
The next top scorers for the Spartans were Keith Fisher and Oumar Barry with four points each.
Down 10 at the break, it was 5-on-2 as Welage and Hillsman had all 30 points after 20 minutes.
In the second half, the game never got closer than 10, as the lead continued to grow as the Spartan’s season was ticking away.
They struggled to keep up offensively with Wyoming in the second half, going scoreless in the first 4 minutes.
Meanwhile, the Cowboys started hot on an 10-0 run, to take a 20 point lead.The drought was ended by none other than Welage who finished with 25 points in total.
“We just couldn’t stop them,” said head coach Jean Prioleau. “We were never able to contain our composure or just get back into the game.”
Welage was the only player on the court who played the entire 40 minute game.
The Cowboys’ lead scorer, junior guard Justin James, went 9-9 with 24 points. Wyoming had three other players hit double digits in scoring.
The Cowboys capitalized on points in the paint. They nailed in the shots closer to the rim while SJSU had more success shooting from the perimeter.
Freshman forward Keith Fisher added a spark on the defensive end in the first half with hustle plays and rebounding. He was absent on the offensive end however, and was fouled out with six minutes left in the game.
“It wasn’t his day today,” Prioleau said. “It’s tough, he does a lot for us. We depend a lot on him.”
The win marks the first MW tournament win for Wyoming since 2015. The Cowboys will face No. 3 New Mexico in the next round.