By Austin Turner — Staff Writer
A week after taking down its first Division I opponent in nearly 10 months, San Jose State (2-6) is going to try to make it two in a row as it hosts the Northern Arizona Lumberjacks (2-5) on Saturday.
After struggling to close out halves for much of the young season, the Spartans finally did so against Bethune-Cookman and will attempt to keep it going against NAU.
Junior forward Michael Steadman was crucial in the final moments in that game, and he’s emerging as a key player for the Spartans on both sides of the ball.
He’s nearly averaging a double-double, with a team-leading 13.5 points per game with 9.4 rebounds. His 50 percent shooting has been an immense help to a team that has been highly inconsistent shooting the ball, at only 41 percent.
The Lumberjacks play a similar style to the Spartans. They don’t shoot particularly well either, at only 44 percent from the field and 32 percent from three.
NAU plays a large lineup, like SJSU, but still struggle to protect the boards. It averages just 31 rebounds per game to 38 from the Spartans.
Rebounding and interior defense will be a definite key for the Spartans in the game.
If they can get their big men, 6-foot-11 Oumar Barry and Ashtin Chastain, to be solid rim protectors and provide a solid inside presence, they should have no issue dominating the paint defensively.
The player that the Spartans will need to look out for the most is sophomore guard Carlos Hines.
He’s a 40 percent 3-point shooter, and 45 of his 87 shots on the season are from beyond the arc. Expect the Spartans to be in their zone-defense to limit Hines’ opportunities on the perimeter to try to force him inside, where he only makes shots at a rate of 38 percent.
It should turn out to be an exciting contest between two struggling teams trying to get back on track.
The Spartans host the NAU Lumberjacks on Saturday at 7 p.m. in the Event Center.
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