By Jarra Gojolo — Content Editor
‘Tis the season, for a break.
San Jose State men’s basketball (3-10) will enter its holiday break with another defeat, losing to UC Riverside (8-5) 80-65 on Sunday. Forward Ralph Agee led SJSU with 15 points as the Spartans dropped to 2-5 at the Event Center this season. Here are three things to take away:
“It’s Over Spartans, I Have The Highland”
The Spartans shot nearly 35 percent from three on Sunday, which was at least above their season average of 27 percent. But they struggled inside the arc, having to deal with UCR’s 7-foot-1 Callum McRae guarding the paint.
Head coach Jean Prioleau says the Highlanders’ defensive scheme gave his team more problems than the personnel did.
“They put their 5 man in the middle of the lane, Prioleau said. “They have their guards running around and guarding our perimeter guys.”
“What it did was it forced us to have to make a two-point shot off the dribble. We weren’t able to do that. We kicked it back a couple of times and we made some threes, but we didn’t make enough of them obviously.”
Prioleau says he also tried to put forward Christian Anigwe at the five, but said that change didn’t help the Spartans get into a rhythm.
“We had wide open shots,” forward Ralph Agee said. “We didn’t make them. I feel like they didn’t do anything spectacular to make us not score.”
A Game of Runs
The Spartans jumped out to a nine-point lead in the first half, but a 17-6 UCR run to end the half wiped out the SJSU advantage, leaving the Spartans down by two going into the break.
“Even though it felt like we were up by more than that, we really weren’t,” Prioleau said. “That’s the sign of a good team, because they were able to stay in the game and do what they do, and we weren’t able to speed them up from that point on.”
In the second half, UCR would go on another run, one that would tank the Spartans for good.
The Highlanders would extend lead to as much as 18 in the second half, as they sent the Spartans to their eighth straight loss.
“I don’t think they had wide open shots,” Prioleau said. “They were able to crash the boards … maybe they were out-rebounding us a little bit, in that run. But again, it still comes down to a make or miss situation. Meaning miss for us and make for them”
Guard Omari Moore says the team can’t afford go cold. “For us, it’s just about putting together 40 minutes. Not just 17 minutes or 30 minutes, we need to put together a full game.”
Holiday Hooping
Santa Jean will be putting practice in his players’ stockings this year.
After Sunday’s game, the Spartans have nearly a week before they face Pepperdine on Saturday at the Event Center.
Prioleau says part of the team’s 25th will be spent in the gym.
“Usually I would like to give the guys off all of Christmas, but I just can’t,” he said. Prioleau says that only using Thursday and Friday to prepare for Saturday is not enough time for the Spartans to be ready.
“We’re gonna practice late on Christmas Day … We’re gonna watch a lot of film, probably change up who’s playing, who’s not, try to get some guys on the court to try and get them a chance.”
The chance to get some rest is just as important to the players.
“I think this break is gonna help a lot of guys out, Agee said. “So that way everybody can come in with a level head and come in more focused than we have been.”
“You hate to go into a break on a down point, Moore said. “But we’re going to keep working.” “It’s just about everybody working on their game when we’re not together as a team.”
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