By Austin Turner – Content Editor
In a battle between the teams at the bottom of the Mountain West, it was ultimately the Wyoming Cowboys (5-14, 1-5 MWC) that were able to handle San Jose State (3-15, 0-6 MWC) with ease and pick up its first conference win on the season.
The Spartans got off to an abysmal start, allowing Wyoming to score the first 11 points of the game. It took over five and a half minutes for SJSU to get its first basket, but when it did the Spartans were able to corral the Cowboys.
The Spartans outscored them 24-13 in the remaining fourteen minutes of the first half behind 7 points from Isaiah Nichols.
The second half was a different story. Wyoming made 58 percent of its shots, while holding SJSU to just 34 percent. It was 6-14 from three and came out of the gates with terrific ball-movement in the final twenty minutes.
The Spartans struggled significantly against the zone defense of Wyoming. They often settled on low-percentage shots, unable to drive the ball into the paint. The entire offense struggled with efficiency, as they shot 32 percent for the game and turned the ball over 16 times.
Michael Steadman led the Spartans with 10 points despite going only 5-13 from the floor.
The Cowboys rode to victory on the back of their workhorse, the conference’s leading scorer Justin James. The senior guard was questionable to play in the game after injuring his shin against New Mexico on Saturday, but there was nothing questionable about his performance against the Spartans.
He scored 20 points on 7-12 shooting and tacked on five assists, three rebounds and four steals in a superb all-around effort on Wednesday.
The win snaps a five-game losing-streak for Wyoming.
The Spartans’ skid is now up to nine with their last win being over a month ago, on December 15. With the loss to Wyoming, SJSU is now the only MW team without a win in conference play.
They’ll attempt to grab their first conference victory on Saturday when they host the Air Force Falcons at 6 p.m.
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