By Kellen Concentine — Staff Writer
San Jose State men’s basketball (3-3) was overwhelmed by Portland State’s (2-3) fast-paced offense in its 91-76 loss Sunday night. Sophomore guard Zach Chappell led the Spartans with 17 points off the bench.
Here are three key factors that would’ve put the Spartans in the win column.
Fast Start
To start the game, the SJSU starters couldn’t score to save their lives. Chappell came in off the bench and was able to produce right off the bat, putting up the first points for the Spartans.
“It’s easier for us to come in from the bench and see what’s going on,” said Chappell.
Freshman guard Omari Moore also gave the offense a spark early. Pushing the ball and running on the fastbreak forced the defense to actually play defense.
Too Little Too Late
Between Craig LeCesne, Brae Ivey and Seneca Knight, the three starters only combined for 2 points in the first half. LeCesne and Knight were benched due to early foul trouble.
“If you pick up two fouls in the first half, basically I’m going to put a guy on the bench because I can’t afford him to pick up the third foul,” said head coach Jean Prioleau.
During the second half, Knight’s shots started to fall after he hit an acrobatic lay-up and transition pull-up three-pointer.
“We just know never give up,” Knight said. “The game’s never over until the horn sounds.”
Knight finished the game with 17 points with 5-11 shooting, all second half points.
A game of runs
“At the end of the day, I don’t think we capitalized on all of the opportunities we had, at least to make it close,” said Coach Prioleau.
SJSU made it close towards the middle of the second half, forcing the Vikings to miss 8 out of 10 field goals at one point. This is when Junior guard Richard Washington and Knight started scoring in bunches.
However, Portland State responded with a 15-0 run, killing any momentum that the Spartans were building.
“We need to keep our spirits high,” said Chappell. “Cause after a loss like this it’s easy to get down on each other and kind of break apart. We just have to stay together and get back.”
San Jose State got beat in all facets on Sunday, there is no denying that.
The Spartans will be playing in the 2019 Continental Tire Las Vegas Classic. Their first game will be on Nov 27 against Oregon State (5-1).
Follow Kellen on Twitter @KC_Journalism