By Austin Turner — Columnist
About halfway through the the first half of the opening round of the Mountain West Conference Men’s Basketball Tournament, New Mexico’s Corey Manigault stole the ball from Richard Washington, ran down the court and slammed down a powerful dunk. It gave the Lobos a 23-8 lead over San Jose State in the midst of a 21-0 UNM run.
If that was the only play you witnessed in this SJSU season, you still got the complete picture.
San Jose State’s (7-24, 3-15 MWC) season came to an end Wednesday with a 79-66 loss to New Mexico (19-13, 7-11 MWC) in Las Vegas.
It wasn’t all gloomy for the Spartans early on. They jumped out to a quick 8-4 lead at the hands of a couple of threes from junior guard Richard Washington and a layup from freshman guard Omari Moore.
After that, the Lobos cranked their game up to 11.
They went on a dominant 21-0 run, dunking on and stealing from the Spartans on what felt like every possession.
Thanks to an absolute smothering Lobos defense, the Spartans missed an astounding 19 shots over a stretch lasting nearly 9 minutes. In the first half alone, the Spartans turned the ball over 16 times.
SJSU rallied for 15 more points by the end of the half, but UNM held a 45-29 lead heading into the break.
The Spartans kept up its momentum in the second half with a quick 7-0 run, and after that, the teams traded blows for the remainder of the game.
Sophomore guard Seneca Knight, the Spartans’ leading scorer in the regular season, awakened after an abysmal first half.
After being limited to 4 points in the first 20 minutes, he commanded the offense efficiently and effectively. He added 18 points to his total, finishing with 22.
Freshman guard Omari Moore made his case for a key role next season with an impressive 17 point game with an extremely efficient 8-of-10 shooting performance.
Despite an offensive explosion from Knight, the Spartans simply couldn’t stop the Lobos. UNM shot at a clip of 45% in the second half, keeping up with SJSU.
Junior guard Vance Jackson was a force for the Lobos. He led the game with 26 points on 9-of-16 shooting and four 3-pointers.
Even with an impressive second half, the Spartans just couldn’t overcome the disastrous opening 10 minutes. The Lobos advance to the quarterfinals on the MWC Tourney, where they’ll face the Utah State Aggies.
SJSU will presumably return four starters to the team next season. Senior guard Brae Ivey, who scored 7 points with 7 rebounds Wednesday, is the lone known departure for the squad.
Continuity has been an issue for SJSU, and a big decision is facing its star player. Knight would be the program’s first leading-scorer to return to the team in 6 years. If one thing is certain, his commitment to the team would be a big first-step in creating more positive results for the Spartans.
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