By Austin Turner — Staff Writer
For the second time in as many days, San Jose State men’s basketball blew a double-digit lead in the second half.
This time, it was to the Central Michigan Chippewas, which rallied from a 13-point deficit with 9:36 remaining to send the Spartans back to the States with an 0-3 record in the Junkanoo Jam in The Bahamas.
Senior guard Shawn Roundtree finished up his 16-point performance with a floater from the paint to take a 76-74 lead with just three seconds remaining.
On the Spartans’ final possession, a Oumar Barry baseball pass from the baseline to the free-throw line on the other end was picked off, ending the SJSU’s disappointing tournament.
San Jose State played its best first half of the season thus far. It led 39-35 while shooting an impressive 58 percent from the field and 50 percent from three.
In a three-minute span midway through the second half, the Spartans went on an impressive 15-0 run led by Seneca Knight, who hit two big 3-pointers during the stretch.
The Chippewas responded with a run of their own, ending the final nine and a half minutes outscoring SJSU 26-11.
In what is becoming a theme of the young season, turnovers were absolute killers for the Spartans. They were -9 on turnovers on the day, giving up the ball 20 times to defenders.
Even when shooting over 50 percent, it virtually impossible to win when giving the ball away so often.
Despite the turnovers, the Spartans did have a solid offensive performance. They did an excellent job of spreading the ball around and spacing the floor.
Craig LeCesne and Michael Steadman both led the way with 13 points, and Brae Ivey was close behind with 12 points alongside 6 assists.
Noah Baumann, who established himself as a sharpshooter for the team, had 9 points on 3-4 3-point shooting.
San Jose State will return home for a four-game home stand after the Thanksgiving break. It will begin in a game against cross-town rival Santa Clara University on Saturday in the Event Center.
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