Let's hula Hawaii

Hawaii is here Thursday night for a 7:30 p.m. game with San Jose State. It's a UH victorious in eight of its last 10 games as Coach Gib Arnold's group of newcomers has melded together well. Arnold has praised the defensive effort of his players and deservedly so as the Rainbow Warriors have held three straight WAC opponents to less than 40% overall shooting (Nevada and Louisiana Tech both to 37% and, most recently, New Mexico State to 36%.

Another factor figuring prominently in Hawaii's success is the emergence of football player Jeremiah Ostowski as the starting point. Former starter Hiram Thompson went out with an arm injury a few games back and this provided the opening for the 5-foot-9 Ostrowski, who is a defensive back on the gridiron and came over in December. His play has certainly aided the UH hoops fortunes but improvement from others on the team is just as significant.

Junior college transfer and sophomore Vander Joaquim is rebounding, defending and now even scoring well. Senior Bill Amis has been a steady contributor of double-doubles, along with some shotblocking.

Something to watch for is that it should be the Warrior starters doing the damage as the Hawaii bench is lean and not contributing all that much. Two guards departed from the squad at the break in December and that has lessened the available depth in the backcourt.

Here is our game report from the earlier matchup of these two teams:

Spartans fall to Hawaii 67-61

The Spartans wore blue and felt that way after giving Hawaii a run on the road before falling 67-61. Elvis was obviously not in the building. Otherwise, it would have been blue Hawaii.

With 11:25 remaining, the score was 47-42, with SJSU down by five.

Later, Justin Graham's jumper at the 6:33 mark cut the deficit to 53-52.

But UH then went on a mini-run, boosting the margin to 61-54 with 4:50 showing.

At that point, Adrian Oliver made one of two free throws but UH's Joston Thomas countered with a pair at the foul line. Hiram Thompson connected on 1 of 2 at the charity line to make it 64-55. An Oliver runner cut the lead to seven.

Bill "Famous" Amis then got free for a dunk and the contest was over minus additional trips to the foul line.

It was inconsistent free-throw shooting hindered SJSU.

Amis totaled 20 points and nine boards. Fellow frontcourter Joston Thomas put up a 14/14 double-double.

Justin Graham led the Spartans with 20 points. He also notched six rebounds and four assists with nary a turnover. Keith Shamburger totaled 12 points with Oliver and Wil Carter contributing 10 apiece. Matt Ballard led in rebounding, corralling 10 boards. SJSU shot 31% overall.

At the half, it was 31-24.

Adrian Oliver returned to the starting lineup tonight. He picked up a pair of somewhat early fouls, thereby missing some of his usual playing time early on. Rebounding totals were fairly even, it seemed like UH big Vander Joaquim was having a block-athon.and the teams went back and forth. Late in the initial 20 minutes, a 9-0 run pushed Hawaii to a 10-point lead until Graham's trey cut it to seven.

The Rainbow Warrior Starting Five (numbers are for WAC games)

* 6-foot-10 sophomore Vander Joaquim -- 12.4 points and 9.8 rebounds per contest, 23 blocked shots, his numbers are improving as the season progresses

* 6-foot-9 senior Bill Amis -- averaging 14.2 points and 7.8 rebounds a game with 26 shotblocks in 12 games

* 6-foot-7 freshman Trevor Wiseman -- label him the Energizer Bunny as he averages but 3 points and 3.5 rebounds a game but brings a franticness to the court

* 6-foot-6 junior Zane Johnson -- 14.7 ppg., the long distance marksman on the team, shooting 39% on trey attempts, 101 of his 154 shots have been three-pointers

* 5-foot-9 junior Jeremiah Ostrowski -- 38/23 assist-to-turnover ratio, can pop from three but is more of a dribble-driver penetrator

Again, 6-foot-3 senior Hiram Thompson, the normal starter at the point, is sidelined with an arm injury

Off The Bench

* 6-foot-7 sophomore Joston Thomas -- he enjoyed a brief 'vacation' recently when concerns erupted about his dwindling PT, is best inside the paint, very athletic, tries to do too much and goes outside his skills zone which led to his benching which then prompted his hiatus

6-foot-1 freshman Bobby Miles -- he's now the backup at the point despite his freshman status

* 7-foot-0 senior Doug Kurtz -- the back-up in the middle, he can score inside

* 6-foot-4 freshman Bo Barnes -- he started out on fire from long distance this season but has since enjoyed less and less PT, 54 of his 64 shots have been three-pointers


As a team, the Rainbow Warriors are shooting 44% in WAC play to 41% for opposing teams. UH is underwater in assist-to-turnover ratio as a team at 147/213.

If Zane Johnson doesn't shoot well from outside, then UH suffers because his teammates, Bo Barnes excepted, don't possess that kind of range.

Hawaii's WAC schedule to date

12/29/2010 @ Utah State L 66-74
12/31/2010 @ Nevada L 69-86
1/6/2011 Idaho L 44-59
1/8/2011 Boise State L 55-79
1/13/2011 @ New Mexico State L 64-82
1/15/2011 @ Louisiana Tech W 56-48
1/20/2011 Fresno State W 62-52
1/22/2011 San Jose State W 67-61
1/29/2011 Utah State L 84-89 (2OT)
2/03/2011 @ Boise State W 73-66
2/05/2011 @ Idaho L 61-75
2/14/2011 Nevada W 69-67 (OT)
Wolf Pack big Dario Hunt totaled just seven points and six rebounds.

2/24/2011 Louisiana Tech W 71-58
Tech's big man Olu Ashaolu was held to just nine points and four boards.

2/26/2011 New Mexico State W 76-70
In the above game against the Aggies, Zane Johnson led the way, scoring 22 points, including 6-of-12 shooting from 3-point range. Center Vander Joaquim also came up big, finishing with 18 points, 15 rebounds and five blocked shots. He shot 7 for 10 from the field, and 4 of 4 on free throws. Bill Amis contributed 14 points and 11 rebounds. He also played a key defensive role, helping limit New Mexico State forward Troy Gillenwater to six points on 2-of-10 shooting.

The UH Roster

Bo Barnes G 6-4 190 Fr.Bobby Miles G 6-1 190 Fr.
Zane Johnson G 6-6 210 Jr.
Bobby MIles, G, 6-1 190 Fr.
Pi`i Minns G 6-4 180 So. (walk-on)
Jeremiah Ostrowski G 5-9 175 Jr. (walk-on)
Hiram Thompson G 6-3 175 Sr.

Bill Amis F 6-9 235 Sr.
Dominick Brumfield F 6-8 215 So.
Joston Thomas F 6-7 235 So.
Trevor Wiseman F 6-7 210 Fr.

Vander Joaquim C 6-10 245 So. (Angola)
Douglas Kurtz C 7-0 265 Sr. (Brazil)
Davis Rozitis C 7-0 230 So. (Latvia) (redshirting)

Meet Stephon Smith (again)

Stephon Smith is featured in the above three photos

Darryl Harris is the BOCCA head coach

Stephon Smith reached out to SpartanHoops recently and at 6-foot-8 and 253 pounds, when he speaks, we certainly listen.

For memory refreshment, Stephon signed a letter-of-intent with San Jose State University back in November.

We learned that he is attending a new school, Body of Christ Christian Academy (BOCCA) in Raleigh, North Carolina.

In a handful of games so far, Smith is averaging a double-double in scoring and rebounding against "good competition" -- his description. He added, "I've definitely improved my ballhandling and shooting and there is a trainer here, Lorenzo Odom, who I am working out with." Smith also trains with BOCCA Lead Assistant Coach Warrick Scott.

He is also doing body work and is up to the aforementioned 253 pounds so to answer the late Clara Peller: the beef is coming.

As for the future, Smith will be arriving in San Jose "as early as the coaches can get me there."

He certainly has plans.

"I'm excited about the opportunity to come in and help the program," Smith said. "I'm hoping to get on campus, learn my way around, introduce myself and interact with the fans."

There is also an coincidental item that makes it appear it was Smith's destiny to be at SJSU. Recruited by SJSU Assistant Coach Talvin Hester, Smith explained, "I was born on October 24 and Coach Hester's new daughter has the exact same birthdate."

Darryl Harris is the head coach at BOCCA and he is effusive in his praise of Smith.

"Stephon is just a beast in the paint and he's just scratching the surface. He's also good on the perimeter and can knock down the three if need be. Steph plays with poise, is a good athlete with a great ceiling and is very coachable. He is college ready with that body."

Harris also likes what he sees off the court from Smith. "He's done a really good job in the classroom and is a leader. Steph is a blessing to us."

Being in Raleigh, Smith is in college basketball heaven, surrounded by North Carolina State, Duke, North Carolina, with Wake Forest the most distant. at 100 miles away. May he bring some of that aura with him when he heads west.

SJSU wins 72-60

Really, it was never in doubt. Louisiana Tech was plucky, loaded with youngsters and newcomers who competed but the talent gap differential couldn't be squared. So it was San Jose State University eventually sending the Ruston-ites packing 72-60 and thereby eliminating ninth-place LT from the upcoming WAC tourney.

The game was not to be confused with high art -- as broadcaster Mike Chisholm put it "it wasn't a Rembrandt" -- but there are plenty of Thomas Kinkades in living rooms around the country (that ought to rile up the TK aficionados) and it counts as a conference W.

Adrian Oliver paced the Spartans with 23 points. Justin Graham totaled 17 with Wil Carter adding 10 points and eight boards. Olu Ashaolu led Louisiana Tech with 18 points.

SJSU shot a very solid 46% on the night.

At the half, it was 38-29 in favor of SJSU.

Thursday night, it's Hawaii coming to Walt McPherson Court for a 7:30 start and Senior Night for Adrian Oliver and Justin Graham.

It's Louisiana Tech here on Saturday

*** Please do note that the men's game begins at 6 p.m. on Saturday.

Oh how Louisiana Tech Coach Kerry Rupp wishes for a do-over this season. If such was possible, he possibly would have the availability of wings and most likely starters Darius Redding (out due to academic ineligibility) and Brandon Gibson (out with an injury), plus possibly the services of his most talented backcourter, DeAndre Brown (out due to a recent suspension).

But that's all pixie dust at the present although one report indicated that Redding, if his academics are now in order, would be eligible again as of Saturday's game.

Rupp is currently having to make do with a bevy of newcomers, a number of freshman, plus mainstay in the middle, Olu Ashaolu. The positive of such a situation: newcomers are gaining major experience but this is a team badly in need of greater basketball talent.

These two teams met back on January 13 -- here is our game report:

San Jose State tops LT 79-74

Minus Adrian Oliver, out with concussion-like symptoms suffered in practice during the week, it was 'a babe shall lead them' situation

Freshman Keith Shamburger's streak of nine straight points --a pair of free throws, a dribble-drive basket, a top of the key trey and two more from the foul line -- brought San Jose State University from behind in the second half and it was close until the wire before the Spartans prevailed over Louisiana Tech 79-74. He finished with 21 points.

LT endured a veritable offensive no-show by star Olu Ashaolu who managed just four points on 2-4 shooting. He did grab 11 boards however. DeAndre Brown and Tevin Hall, with 17 points apiece, led the Bulldogs, who collectively made just 4-11 from the foul line, content with firing away from long distance (12-27).

SJSU was paced by Shamburger's point total and also Justin Graham's 21 points. Wil Carter contributed 14 and Calvin Douglas 13 (6-8 shooting). The team shot 57% on the evening.

The score was 38-37 in favor of the Bulldogs at the half, an ever-evolving 20 minutes of play. SJSU took a 12 point lead at one point but an LT 17-4 run, powered by seven treys, closed out the play and put Coach Kerry Rupp's team ahead. Carter had 12 points at the half aided by a trio of dunks, Graham 11 and Douglas 10.

For the game, the Spartans shot 57% to the Bulldogs' 52% but LT was successful on 44% of 27 trey attempts.

The (expected) Louisiana Tech Starting Five (using WAC stats)

* 6-10 junior college transfer Romario Souza -- prefers facing the basket over playing in the paint, not much of a factor besides being a catch-and-shoot player

* 6-7 junior Olu Ashaolu -- coming off an 18/11 double-double, he's averaging 13.5 points and 10.1 rebounds a game, uses bulk and athleticism well inside

* 6-foot-5 freshman Cedarius Johnson -- 6.5 points per game, shooting 36% overall, 29% from distance, 49 of his 80 shots have been treys

* 6-5 freshman Lonnie Smith -- 4.8 points and 2.5 rebounds per game, shooting 32% overall, 32% from beyond the stripe, 30 or his 50 shots have been treys

* 6-1 freshman Kenyon McNeaill -- 7.8 points and 2.5 rebounds a game, 33% and 32% respectively, 41 of his 85 shots have been treys

Off The Bench

* 6-7 freshman James Johnson -- an inside-the-paint player, not a factor thus far this season

* 6-9 junior Antwond Roshell -- 3.3 points and 3.8 rebounds a game, has played little but has the size and bulk to have an effect against SJSU

* 6-foot-8 sophomore J.L. Lewis -- another reserve who has played a miniscule amount

* 5-foot-10 sophomore Tevin Hall -- 3.3 points per game, shooting 50% on 28 attempts, 3-7 on treys

The Bulldogs are in the minus in steals, blocked shots, assists, ahead in turnovers (not the position Coach Rupp wishes) plus shooting 40% overall to 45% for opposing teams.

LT's schedule to date

12/29/10 at Boise State L, 71-60
12/31/10 at Idaho L, 77-47
01/06/11 vs. Fresno State L, 63-56
01/13/11 San Jose State L, 79-74
01/15/11 Hawai'i L, 56-48
01/20/11 at Utah State L, 74-57
01/22/11 at Nevada L, 66-58
01/27/11 Idaho W, 71-56
01/29/11 Boise State W, 70-60
02/05/11 at Fresno State L, 72-64
02/07/11 at New Mexico State L, 75-57
02/12/11 New Mexico State L, 50-49

The Louisiana Tech Roster (alphabetized, by position)

DeAndre Brown 5-11/160 G SR(suspended)
Brandon Gibson 6-5/225 G SO (injured)
Tevin Hall 5-10/155 PG SO
Cordarius Johnson 6-5/215 G FR
Kenyon McNeaill 6-1/185 G FR
C.J. Scott 6-1/225 G JR
Lonnie Smith 6-5/185 G FR

Olu Ashaolu 6-7/220 G/F JR
Stojan Gjuroski 6-7/195 FR HS (redshirting)
James Johnson 6-7/250 F/C FR
J.L. Lewis 6-8/240 F/C SO
Darius Redding 6-4/205 F SO (ineligible)

Romario Souza 6-10/245 F/C JR

Antwond Roshell 6-9/250 C JR

Spartans win in OT

There's a reason why basketball is played by the young. Because we're too old for this. San Jose State and New Mexico State were tied at 66 after 40 minutes, the Spartans then scored six points, the Aggies four in the extra period and SJSU claimed a 72-70 victory.

After a Troy Gillenwater trey put NMSU up one with around 30 seconds left in the second half, Adrian Oliver missed on a shot, Wil Carter's tip was too strong but Matt Ballard collected the rebound and was fouled on his putback attempt.

0.7 seconds remained.

Ballard missed the first free throw and Coach Marvin Menzies called a time out to ice the junior. His second attempt nestled into the net, forcing the extra five minutes.

In the OT, Oliver buried an acrobatic fadeaway jumper in the lane to put the Spartans up by two. A Hernst Laroche dribble-drive and shot tied the game.

After a Ballard miss, Carter tipped the ball in to again edge SJSU ahead. Laroche penetrated and passed to West who dunked, knotting the game once again.

Keith Shamburger then hit what turned out to be the eventual game winner with an in-the-key seven-footer with 1:56 showing.

Both teams eventually traded missed shots until New Mexico State fouled with 19.5 seconds on the clock. SJSU inbounded but the ball went off Oliver's hands and the Aggies were awarded possession.

Laroche dribbled down the clock, then went left, followed by a pair of Spartan defenders. He sent the ball to Gillenwater who missed on a wide open top-of-the-key three attempt. Laroche grabbed the rebound, his shot in the lane also was errant and the horn sounded.

Oliver led with 36 points and Carter posted a double-double of 10 points and 11 boards

A major congrats to Justin Graham for becoming the all-time Spartan assist leader tonight.

More tomorrow.

The rescheduled Junior-Senior dinner

Here's the latest from Gayle:

Dear Rebounders,

Let's get together with our junior class and our wonderful seniors, Adrian and Justin, next Thurday, February 24th at 6:00 at the Bold Knight Bistro, 840 North First Street. We'll meet upstairs in the lounge by the fireplace for friendship and beverages and then adjourn downstairs to the cellar to hold our meeting when the players arrive about 6:30. Cost of dinner is $25.00 inclusive which means including tax and tip and as you all know, I am always looking for players' sponsorships. Of course, we have raffle tickets and prizes for the wonderful people who sponsor a player and the player will sit with their sponsor for the dinner. Also attending with be Coach Nessman and our assistants. So let's get together one last time with our seniors as we head to the WAC tournament.

Please RSVP to me at either sjsubabe@cwnet.com or 408 531 1063. If you would like me to return your call, please leave a number on my answering machine.

Looking forward to seeing you and GO SPARTANS!!

Gayle K.

Attending the dinner will be:

Adrian Oliver
Justin Graham
Garrett Ton
Will Carter
Matt Ballard
Billy Dick
Calvin Douglas
Coach Nessman and assistants

New Mexico State is in the house Wednesday night

Coach Marvin Menzies and his band of New Mexico Staters (14-13 overall, 8-4 in the WAC, 2-4 in league away games) arrive at Walt McPherson Court on Wednesday evening.

The Aggies are coming off a surprising 82-80 BrackBuster loss to Northern Colorado and this at home. The Las Cruces Sun-News beat reporter offered this about NC in a post-game blog: "They have seniors and they can shoot the 3 which can help you win games, but they scored 82 points at the Pan Am against a second place team in a better league." Northern Colorado was hot from long distance early but missed all 11 trey attempts in the second half. However, they made up for that by taking to the offensive boards in the second 20 minutes for 11 caroms.

Yes, backcourter Jonathan Gibson has departed and wing Jahmar Young left to open up a string of mini-mart franchises (just joking -- don't fret if you don't get it). Oakland native and former Richmond High star Wendell McKines won't play as he is officially redshirting this season but it will be interesting if he travels anyway because his presence will bring out a number of friends and family.

It's applying a very broad brush stroke but we're calling this matchup the backcourt (SJSU) versus the frontcourt (NMSU) as the strengths of each respective program lies in those areas. However, forward Wil Carter has come on of late for the Spartans and sharpshooting guard Gordo Castillo plus point Hernst Laroche are no slouches as Aggies.

Here's our game report from the earlier Spartan - Aggie matchup in Las Cruces, one minus Adrian Oliver:

Spartans fall 78-53
January 15, 2011

It's a super secret program, appropriate for a state featuring Los Alamos and The Manhattan Project.

Regardless, SpartanHoops has stealthingly uncovered the fact that New Mexico State University engineers have developed an invisible lid for placement on the basketball hoop. The evidence? San Jose State went 0-12 from beyond the arc, shooting 23% in the first half against the Aggies tonight. Furthermore, witnesses have told us that a male in his forties, wearing sunglasses, Crocs, a fedora and a leather overcoat was seen furiously working what looked like a blackberry device whenever the Spartans attempted a shot. We are told a YouTube video will soon be available.

Strictly on the court, the final score was 78-53.

It was this kind of night: Aggie freshman backcourter Christian Kabongo, entering the game shooting 6-42 on treys overall, 1-7 in WAC play, made all three of his long distance attempts.

But SJSU did fight back, closing the margin to 12 midway through the second 20 minutes but a trio of Aggie treys boosted the lead back to 18 and that was that.

Leading 35-18 at the half, it was a case of New Mexico State unable to miss, San Jose State unable to make early on and the Aggies cantered to an early 20-point lead. But it was gradual elongation -- NMSU led 8-6 at the 15:58 mark, 17-9 with 13:33 showing but boosted it to 27-11 and then 33-13.

On the game, San Jose State shot 33% to 48% for New Mexico State. The Aggies went 11-27 on three-pointers to just 2-17 for the Spartans. In rebounding, NMSU won by 11, 42-31.

Troy Gillenwater led the Aggies with 18 points, plus six boards. Backcourter Gordo Castillo totaled 17 and Kabongo 13.

Wil Carter's 14 points and seven rebounds topped the Spartans. Justin Graham added 11.

Spartan leading scorer Adrian Oliver again missed the game with concussion-like symptoms. Coach George Nessman started Brylle Kamen, Carter, Calvin Douglas, Keith Shamburger and Graham.

NMSU's Starting Five (stats are for league play)

One of the two bigs will start at center -- each played 18 minutes against Northern Colorado with Rahman starting.

* 6-11 junior Hamidu Rahman -- 7.2 ppg. (shooting 57%), 4.3 rpg., not real mobile, has missed some games with a calf injury -- should be available but for probably less than 20 minutes

or

* 6-10 freshman Tshilidzi (Chili) Nephawe -- 6.7 ppg. (shooting 57%), 4.8 rpg., a better shotblocker and shooter

* 6-8 junior Troy Gillenwater -- 21.8 ppg. (shooting 51%) likes and will take the three,, 6.7 rpg., 9/27 assist-to-turnover ratio so the ball ain't coming back often

* 6-5 sophomore Tyrone Watson -- 8.6 ppg. (shooting 61%), 4.7 rpg., not a creator but a blue collar guy

* 6-8 sophomore Bandja Sy -- 4.7 ppg., not shooting all that well, half his shots are threes, is long and can make the spectacular play but needs to work on consistency

* 6-1 junior Hernst Laroche -- 11.6 ppg., 62-38 assist-to-turnover ratio, the Aggie leader on the court

Off The Bench

* 6-4 freshman Christian Kabongo -- 5.3 ppg., 37/24 assist-to-turnover ratio, likes an up-and-down game

* 6-5 senior Gordo Castillo -- 8.0 ppg., easily the best catch-and-shoot distance marksman on the team, 61 of his 75 shots have been three-pointers

* 6-foot-9 freshman Renaldo Dixon -- a young fill-in upfront

* 6-foot-11 B.J. West -- ditto

The Aggie WAC schedule so far

Dec 29 @ Idaho 74 - 69 (W)
Dec 31 @ Boise State 78 - 81 (L)
Jan 08 Fresno State 80 - 68 (W)
Jan 13 Hawai'i 82-64 (W)
Jan 15 San Jose State 78 - 53 (W)
Jan 20 @ Nevada 71 - 90 (L)
Jan 22 @ Utah State 49 - 59 (L)
Jan 27 Boise State 96 - 87 (W) OT
Jan 29 Idaho 73 - 65 (W)
Feb 03 @ Fresno State 83 - 88 (L) OT
Feb 07 Louisiana Tech 75 - 57 (W)
Feb 12 @ Louisiana Tech 50 - 49 (W)
Feb 19 Northern Colorado 82-80 (L)

The New Mexico State roster (by position, alphabetized)

Gordo Castillo G 6-5 190 Sr.
Makhtar Diop G 6-6 195 Jr.
Drew Herig 6-0 183 Fr.
Christian Kabongo G 6-4 199 Fr.
Hernst Laroche G 6-1 170 Jr.

Renaldo Dixon F 6-10 210 Fr.
Troy Gillenwater F 6-8 238 Jr.
Wendell McKines F 6-6 230 Sr. (redshirting)
Bandja Sy F 6-8 214 So.
Tyrone Watson F 6-5 225 So.
B.J. West F 6-11 240 So.

Abdoulaye N'doye C 7-0 215 So.
Tshilidzi Nephawe C 6-10 268 Fr.
Hamidu Rahman C 6-11 245 Jr.

Spartans win 62-46 over Weber State

When you're bleeding, the doctor will sometimes have to cauterize the wound in order to staunch the flow. Weber State Coach must have left his medical instruments elsewhere Friday night because he had no answer for Spartan junior frontcourter Wil Carter whose inside play instead kept Carter-izing and Carter-izing the Wildcats unimpeded all night.

The 6-foot-8 Carter's play, as well as that of others, prompted a 62-46 San Jose State victory.

Weber State came into the contest riding a six-game winning streak but poor shooting all night and more turnovers than usual produced a brick wall with a sign bearing the word Loss. The Wildcats looked out of synch from the beginning.

Keith Shamburger, boosted by five treys, led SJSU with 22 points. Carter posted a double-double of 16 points and 14 rebounds while Justin Graham finished with 14 points. Adrian Oliver, burdened by foul trouble, played just 20 minutes and had nine points.

It was Graham who began with a bang, opening the scoring with a trey and then a deuce. SJSU led 23-14 with 6:10 remaining. Eventually, it was 27-14.

At the half, San Jose State was up 30-22 but came out in the second period with a scoring run to put the game away.

After that initial 20 minutes, Weber was at 32% shooting (missing their first six attempts) while the Spartans were at 42%. Graham had 12 points and Carter was credited with nine boards halfway through.

We have no idea if Weber State ever had recruiting interest in Carter but he certainly caught their attention tonight but usually after a score or a rebound.

It's Weber State on FRIDAY night

*** Make sure that Friday night registers in la cabeza because season tickets may list the game for Saturday.

The Weber State Wildcats come to Walt McPherson Court on Friday night for a BracketBuster matchup. Led by Randy Rahe, a former Stew Morrill coaching protege, this is another team where the whole performs greater than the sum of its parts, especially now that star backcourter Damian Lillard -- a former Oakland area basketballer -- is out for the season with a foot injury. Prior to Lillard's mid-December ailment, he was averaging 19.7 points per game and easily the most creative of the Wildcat guards.

Still, WSU is on a five game conference winning streak, a stretch of foes that included Montana and Northern Colorado, the top two squads in their league. The Wildcats reside is third place in the Big Sky with an 8-4 conference record, 14-9 overall and 4-7 with away games.

Weber employs similarities to the style utilized by Utah State -- not a lot of flash but screens and cuts and more screens, solid outside-shooting -- and it's most apparent outcome are the shooting percentages of Wildcats. The lowest among the starters is at 44% and even the young reserves off the bench aim, fire and connect on a solid basis.

Comparative games

Sat, Nov 13 @ Utah State 65 - 77 (L)

Sat, Dec 04 Seattle 65 - 61 (W)

Wed, Dec 29 @ Montana State 72 - 75 (L)

Sat, Feb 05 Montana State 78 - 58 (W)

The Weber State Starting Five

* 6-foot-9 Trevor Morris SR - 10.2 ppg. (shooting 56%), 4.3 rpg., 20 blocked shots in 23 games

* 6-foot-8 Darrin Mahoney JR - 4.4 ppg. (shooting 49%), 4.8 rpg.

* 6-foot-6 Kyle Bullinger JR - 10.1.ppg. (shooting 46% overall, 42% in treys), one half of his shot attempts have been from behind the line, 6.3 rpg.

* 6-foot-3 Scott Bamforth SO - 12.4 ppg. (shooting 50% overall and 54% from long distance), 107 of his 169 shots have been treys, 63/40 assist-to-turnover ratio

* 6-foot-2 Lindsey Hughey SR - 12.4 ppg. (shooting 44% overall, 40% from three), 5.0 rpg., a team-leading 26 steals, 67/61 assist-to-turnover ratio

Bullinger was just named the Big Sky Conference Player of the Week after averaging 17.5 points, 10.5 rebounds, and five assists in wins over Northern Arizona and Eastern Washington.

Off The Bench

* 6-foot-7 Byron Fulton FR - 8.0 ppg. (shooting 49% and 53% respectively), 3.3 rpg.

* 6-foot-1 Jordan Richardson FR - 5.0 ppg. (shooting 33% and 48% respectively), one half of his shots have been threes, 39/24 assist-to-turnover ratio, out of West High in Tracy so count on family and friends to be in attendance

* 6-foot-10 Kyle Tresnak FR - 3.7 ppg. (shooting 49%), 2.4 rpg.

*** It's a very youthful bench with all three freshman contributing significantly.

*** As a team, WSU is shooting 47% while allowing just 41% of opponents shots to be successful -- plus a remarkable 46% to 39% on three-point attempts.

*** The overall scoring by halves has the Wildcats winning both segments -- 777 to 737 in the initial 20 minutes and then 897 to 813 in round two.

The Wildcat Roster (by position and alphabetized)

James Hajek C 6-10 250 Fr
Trevor Morris C 6-9 240 Sr.
Kyle Tresnak C 6-10 250 Fr.

Kyle Bullinger F 6-6 215 Jr.
Blake Davis F 6-5 210 Fr.
Byron Fulton F 6-7 220 Fr.
Darin Mahoney F 6-8 225 Jr.
Frank Otis F 6-6 230 Jr. (redshirting)

Scott Bamforth G/F 6-2 190 So.
Lindsey Hughey G 6-3 200 Sr.
Damian Lillard G 6-2 185 Jr. (injured)
B.J. Porter F/G 6-3 190 So.
Jordan Richardson G 6-1 180 Fr.

Spartans win 77-73

Shooter. Waylon Jennings named a his only child just that (actually it's a nickname but has morphed into the only name he answers to). Said son didn't matriculate at Montana State nor has he ever set foot in Bozeman to the best of our knowledge but he missed his match if he ever wanted to play college hoops. That's because the Bobcats fire away with abandon, as if the ball is afire in their hands, connecting at times, missing others.

Montana State is also a team scoring better in the first half than the second this season but the Bobcats reversed that tonight. They started out whatever the opposite of en fuego is, as if at home at an outside court in the snow but made it a "Tale of Two Cities" contest with much sharper shooting in period two.

In the end, Coach Don Huse's squad came close but fell short to San Jose State University 77-73.

For SJSU, Adrian Oliver earned a double-double with 35 points and 10 boards as did Wil Carter with 13 and 10.

Milpitas High grad Erik Rush paced the visitors with 20 points.

Montana State kept closing the point differential after the break. It was 53-41, then 54-44 with 12:07 remaining.

At the 7:13 mark, the score was 60-53.

With 5:15 showing, the lead was five, 60-55.

A Rush dunk made it 69-67.

Then, Oliver sank both ends of a one and one to make it 71-67.

After getting the ball back, Rush was called for a charge on a fingeroll layup.

Justin Graham eventually put in a bankshot but Rod Singleton followed with a basket of his own.

Later, Calvin Douglas connected on one of two free throws to make it 74-69.

Rush came down and scored on another dunk to reduce the margin to three.

Keith Shanburger then also sank one of a pair at the charity stripe, Montana State followed with an air ball and the outcome was essentially set.

At the half, the Spartans led 46-25, with Oliver totaling 20 points and five rebounds. SJSU shot 51% to MSU's 33% with the Bobcats going 3-19 in attempts at one point. The half also featured a five point play when Oliver buried a trey while Carter was being fouled and the junior forward sank a pair of free throws to add five digits to the lead all at once.

It's Montana State here on Tuesday night

Brad Huse is the head coach of the Bobcats, has been since April 2006. His squad is currently 11-13 overall, 5-8 in conference play but an ominous 1-11 in away games. MSU is a member of the Big Sky Conference and currently in sixth place.

Shooting numbers tell the tale of Montana State's season:

* This is a team shooting 41% on the season while allowing opponents to connect at a 46% clip.

* The Bobcats have also attempted 182 more three pointers than opposing teams, shooting 33% versus 39% for opponents. So expect a barrage of long range shots from Huse's team.

* In cumulative scoring, it's 799 to 790 in MSU's favor in first half point production. But the second 20 minutes is somewhat different with the Bobcats at 878 points to 938 for opposing teams -- not a large differential but worth noting that the team's scoring proficiency drops as games goes on.

* Turnovers are fairly close with Montana State having a +45 differential.

* The rebounding numbers are also similar.

Comparative games of note

11/12/2010 @ Hawai'i L 59-77

11/24/2010 San Francisco W 76-59

11/29/2010 Seattle L 70-72

12/19/2010 UC Riverside L 67-78

1/16/2011 Eastern Washington W 71-59

2/13/2011 Sacramento State L 74-71

Sultan Toles-Bey and Alpha N'Diaye each scored 18 points and Sacramento State held off a late Montana State rally, boosting the Hornets to a 74-71 win in Bozeman on Sunday. Bobby Howard led the Bobcats with a career-high 28 points (9-26 shooting).

Sacramento State took control of the game shortly after halftime, scoring 10 points on its first four possessions to turn a two-point edge into a 10-point cushion. The Hornets eventually led by 15, 47-32 with 13:46 to play, before the Bobcats chipped away at the lead.

Trailing 65-55 with just over three minutes remaining, MSU used a 13-5 run to trim the lead to two points in the last 30 seconds. But Rod Singleton missed a contested layup with six seconds left and a three-quarter court three-pointer as time expired missed the mark, allowing Sacramento State to snap a six-game losing streak to the Bobcats, and a four-game streak in Worthington Arena.

Montana State will also host Idaho on February 19.

The Bobcat Starting Five

There is no Dario Hunt -- an athletic and inside power player here.

* 6-foot-10 Cody Anderson - 4.4 ppg., shooting 49% overall3.4 rpg.

* 6-foot-7 Bobby Howard - 14.3 ppg., shooting 39% overall, 31% on a team-leading 122 trey attempts, 7.2 rpg.

* 6-foot-7 Danny Piepoli - 6.8 ppg., shooting 34% overall, 32% on 100 threes (second on the team)

* 6-foot-5 Erik Rush - 15.2 ppg., shooting 43% and 33% respectively (the latter on 98 long distance attempts) , 4.3 rpg., team-leading 37 steals - this young man is from the South Bay (Milpitas High) so expect his family and friends to be out in full force

* 5-foot-10 Rod Singleton - 7.7 ppg., the QB of the team with 77 assist to 53 turnovers

That's a trio of seniors in Howard, Piepoli and Rush plus the junior Anderson and a junior college transfer (Singleton) in his first year.

Off The Bench

* 6-foot-7 Jourdan Allou - 3.9 ppg., shooting 57% but only 32% from the foul line, 3.4 rpg., second on team with 13 blocks

* 6-foot-5 Shawn Reid - 6.3 ppg., shooting 39% overall but 43% on threes

* 5-foot-9 Casey Trujeque - shooting 30% overall, 31% from long distance and 32 of his 43 shot attempts have been treys

* 6-foot-7 Tre Johnson - leads the team in blocked shots with

* 6-foot-10 Jeff Budinich - 42 of his 59 shot attempts have been three-pointers, he's making 36% despite topping out at 6-foot-10


The Montana State Roster (alphabetized and by position)

Cody Anderson C 6-10 270 Jr.
Blake Brumwell C 6-7 240 Fr.

Jordan Allou F/C 6-7 200 Jr.

Jeff Budinich F 6-10 235 Fr.
Steven Davis F 6-7 235 Fr.
Bobby Howard F 6-7 230 Sr.
Tre Johnson F 6-7 200 Fr.
Danny Piepoli F 6-6 205 Sr.
Shawn Reid F 6-5 195 Fr.

Tor Anderson G 6-2 200 Fr.
Chris McCall G 6-3 180 Fr.
Ryan McIntyre G 6-2 160 Fr.
Erik Rush G 6-5 210 Sr.
Rod Singleton G 5-10 185 Jr.
Casey Trujeque G 5-9 175 Fr.

Nevada wins in overtime 84-76

There was no "Groundhog Day" Saturday evening at Walt McPherson Court. In this one, San Jose State University was very successful early on, owning a 26-10 lead but Nevada persevered, came back and ultimately triumphed 84-76 in overtime.

It was freshman Jerry Evans putting himself in the right place at the right times as the 6-foot-8 wing nabbed a steal early in OT, was fouled and put down both free throws. Late in the same extra period, he rebounded a missed shot, turned and tossed in a layup. That made the score 78-75 in favor of Nevada. After that, it was mostly a parade to the foul line as SJSU needed to foul.

Adrian Oliver led the Spartans with 30 points.

Closing out the last minutes of regular play, Oliver nailed a layup and subsequent free throw to make it 70-68 SJSU with 1:18 remaining.

A Malik Story lob to Dario Hunt couldn't have been grabbed by Spiderman on one of his best days and went out of bounds. Keith Shamburger then made one of two free throws after being fouled.

Coming back down, Nevada's Olek Czyz missed an open trey attempt from the top of the key and back down the court Justin Graham was fouled and put in one of his two free throws.

San Jose State led 72-68.

The Wolf Pack's Deonte Burton then scored on a dribble-drive to make it 72-70.

Oliver was double teamed in the backcourt next the right boundary line, slipped and his pass was intercepted. Czyz was eventually fouled by Oliver -- the fifth foul for the Spartan senior -- taking it to the hoop with 2+ seconds on the clock.

The first shot from the sophomore out of Reno hit the back rim, went up 3-4 feet but came down through the net. He also buried the second, forcing overtime.

Story led Coach David Carter's squad with a career-high 29 points.

The Spartans shot 39% on the night, 50% on treys and 22-27 from the foul line. Graham led in rebounding with eight, grabbed four steals but shot just 4-21.

Nevada shot 41% overall, 28% from long distance and went 25-31 at the charity stripe.

Marquin Chandler located again

Marquin is now playing basketball in Bahrain. We just located an article in which he is mentioned very near the end as playing for the Al Ahli club. Here is the Facebook site for the team where a photo of Marquin can be found. Here is another mention of Marquin in an article that also notes he scored 43 points in one game.

Bahrain is an island country of approximately 800,000 inhabitants, located near the western shores of the Persian Gulf.

Nevada here on Saturday evening

It's rematch time Saturday evening with SJSU hosting Nevada and minus the elevation.

Here's a combination of analysis from Reno Gazette-Journal reporter Chris Murray plus quotes from Coach David Carter on both last Saturday's game and the overall Wolf Pack season:

"...and most important, has been the knowledge that comes with experience.

Carter said the fact that Nevada pulled away from San Jose State in its last game rather than let the Spartans creep back in was the latest symbol of maturation.

"It's a big sign," Carter said after the 89-69 victory. "I think the team has grown a lot from four weeks ago until now. We're much more confident, we're playing better, we know what we're doing."

The most notable difference has been the Wolf Pack offense.

Nevada is averaging six points more per game in WAC play than non-conference play (67.1 ppg to 73.2 pgg). Its field-goal percentage has risen from 39.9 percent to 45.6 percent.

Still, there are lessons to be learned. The Pack has twice folded down the stretch against Utah State this season after trying to play as individuals rather than trusting the system and playing as a team...

...Carter said that mistake was fixed in the win over SJSU.

"We were sharing the ball really well," Carter said. "We were moving the ball against their zone. They played zone and man and kind of mixed it up, and we learned from that Utah State game. Whatever sets we call, you have to execute it. I thought against Utah State we were thinking too much -- 'They're in zone; they're in man' -- and the offense wasn't crisp. Against San Jose State, we were moving the ball and running our stuff no matter what defense they were in."

Freshman Deonte Burton has led Nevada five times in scoring since WAC play began, compared to once in non-league action. He's the #6 scorer in the league (15.2) with Dario Hunt coming in at #12 (14.0). Hunt is shooting 63% which is second in the conference while grabbing 9.5 rebounds (3.1 offensively) and rejecting 2.3 shots a contest. Olek Czyz is shooting 61% and a threat from outside at 47%.

In the previous contest against the Spartans, starters Malik Story shot 6-11 and Jerry Evans 4-8, this after entering the game shooting 37% and 38% respectively.

Our February 5 game report:

There was no Miracle in Moscow -- if you will -- this time. In fact, Jerry Evans, who entered the game averaging 4.1 points per game for Nevada, scored 11 in the first half. Patrick Nyeko, who hadn't nailed a three-pointer all season (0-6), claimed his first one.

At the conclusion, it was Nevada 89-69 over SJSU.

The Spartans kept within 10 or so points for much of the second half but just couldn't cut further into the deficit.

Adrian Oliver led the scoring with 25 points. Keith Shamburger added 16 and Justin Graham contributed 14.

The shooting numbers tell a tale. The Wolf Packers shot 52%, went 8-18 from long distance and 23-29 at the foul line. San Jose State shot 39%, going 3-14 from beyond the three-point line and 16-25 at the charity stripe.

It was 40-31 Nevada after the initial 20 minutes. In that period, the largest Spartan deficit was 18.

The Wolf Pack WAC schedule to date

Dec 31 Hawai'i 86 - 69 (W)
Jan 03 @ Fresno State 74 - 80 (L)
Jan 08 Utah State 67 - 81 (L)
Jan 12 @ Idaho 67 - 72 (L)
Jan 15 @ Boise State 69 - 67 (W)

Deonte Burton scored 20 points and Malik Story added 16 to lead Nevada to a 69-67 victory over Boise State on Saturday night. Dario Hunt had 12 points and eight rebounds as Nevada (5-13, 2-3 Western Athletic) snapped a three-game losing streak. Nevada trailed 56-52 with less than six minutes remaining before Story staged a personal 8-0 run, scoring on a layup and two high-arching 3-pointers from the left corner. The second gave the Wolf Pack a 60-56 advantage with 3:34 left.

Jan 20 New Mexico State 90 - 71 (W)

Deonte Burton scored 22 points to lead five Nevada players in double digits as part of a 90-71 win over New Mexico State on Thursday night. The Wolf Pack (6-13, 3-3 WAC) led 43-36 at halftime and never trailed after that. Dario Hunt picked up a double-double for Nevada with 20 points and 12 rebounds. Olek Czyz added 15 points, Malik Story 10 and Derrell Conner 10 for the Wolf Pack.

Jan 22 Louisiana Tech 66 - 58 (W)

Deonte Burton scored 18 points and Dario Hunt had 16 as Nevada rallied to beat Louisiana Tech 66-58 on Saturday night. Malik Story added 10 points for the Wolf Pack (7-13, 4-3 WAC). Louisiana Tech led by as many as eight points in the first half and led 33-28 at halftime. Nevada opened the second half with a 16-6 run to go up 44-39 with 14:16 left and stretched the lead to 57-45 on a jumper by Jordan Burris with 7:33 to play.

Jan 27 Fresno State 79 - 76 (W)

Dario Hunt had 24 points and 11 rebounds Thursday night as Nevada held on to beat Fresno State 79-76. Deonte Burton added 17 points and Malik Story 13 for the Wolf Pack (8-13, 5-3 Western Athletic), who won their fourth consecutive game.

Feb 2 @ Utah State 67-45 (L)

Brockeith Pane scored 18 points to lead No. 22 Utah State to a 67-45 win over Nevada on Wednesday night for the Aggies' 16th straight victory. The Aggies led 29-28 at the half before beginning the second half with a 21-6 run to take control of the game. Jardine sparked the team during the spurt. Deonte Burton scored 11 points and Dario Hunt grabbed 10 rebounds for Nevada (8-14, 5-4), which was held to its lowest offensive output in 10 years - shooting just 25 percent from the field in the second half.

Feb 5 San Jose State 89-69 (W)

Dario Hunt had 16 points and a career-best 19 rebounds to lead Nevada past San Jose State 89-69 on Saturday night. Malik Story had 16 points, Jerry Evans Jr. 11 and Olek Czyz 10 for the Wolf Pack (9-14 overall, 6-4 WAC). Nevada controlled the game from the start, making 10 of its first 13 shots from the field and building a 35-17 lead with 7:36 to play in the first half.

Coach David Carter's Starting Five (stats are for the season)

* 6-foot-1 Deonte Burton - 13.5 ppg., shooting 42% overall and 30% from long distance respectively, a team-leading 77 assists, team-leading 26 steals

*6-foot-5 Malik Story - 13.4 ppg., shooting 38% and 42% respectively (figure that one out), 3.4 rpg., he more of a streaky shooter

* 6-foot-8 Jerry Evans - 4.1 ppg., 3.8 rpg., shooting 37%, is long and lanky, starting because of his defensive prowess

* 6-foot-7 Olek Czyz - 13.4 ppg., shooting 56% and 42% respectively, 5.7 rpg., the quickest jumper on the team, not a creator as yet with the ball

* 6-foot-8 Dario Hunt - 13.7 points per game, shooting 54% overall, 72% at the line (he was at 47% last season), 9.4 rebounds a contest, 34 blocked shots but foul trouble in the last few games has limited his playing time

Off The Bench

* 6-foot-6 Patrick Nyeko - like Evans, he's a + defender so he may be used against Adrian Oliver and Justin Graham

* 6-foot-10 Devonte Elliott - has a world of promise, needs to add weight and develop an offensive repertoire

* 6-foot-9 Kevin Panzer - best known as a face-the-basket shooter in high school, he's still adjusting to D-1 basketball

* 6-foot-0 Derrell Conner - the backup at the point, he has been playing better of late, more than half of his shots have been treys, has a 33/33 A-to-TO ratio

* 6-foot-7 Jordan Burris - playing better of late but still rushing his shooting stroke, is more of a shooter than anything else at this point

*** Key stat to remember: Nevada is 1-11 away from Reno (combining away and neutral site games).

The Nevada Roster (alphabetized and by position)

Jordan Burris G 6-7 205 Fr
Deonte Burton G 6-1 185 Fr
Derrell Conner G 6-0 165 Jr
Jerry Evans G 6-8 188 Fr
Jordan Finn G 6-4 190 Fr.
Keith Fuetsch G 6-0 170 So
Patrick Nyeko G 6-6 180 So
Malik Story G 6-5 225 So

Adam Carp F 6-7 215 Sr
Marko Cukic F 6-9 250 So
Olek Czyz F 6-7 240 Jr
Devonte Elliott F 6-10 220 Fr
Dario Hunt F 6-8 230 Jr
Keith Olson F 6-10 270 Jr
Kevin Panzer F 6-9 205 Fr

Nevada tops San Jose State 89-69

There was no Miracle in Moscow -- if you will -- this time. In fact, Jerry Evans, who entered the game averaging 4.1 points per game for Nevada, scored 11 in the first half. Patrick Nyeko, who hadn't nailed a three-pointer all season (0-6), claimed his first one.

At the conclusion, it was Nevada 89-69 over SJSU.

The Spartans kept within 10 or so points for much of the second half but just couldn't cut further into the deficit.

Adrian Oliver led the scoring with 25 points. Keith Shamburger added 16 and Justin Graham contributed 14.

The shooting numbers tell a tale. The Wolf Packers shot 52%, went 8-18 from long distance and 23-29 at the foul line. San Jose State shot 39%, going 3-14 from beyond the three-point line and 16-25 at the charity stripe.

It was 40-31 Nevada after the initial 20 minutes. In that period, the largest Spartan deficit was 18.

Kudos to the San Jose State cheerleader squad for making the trip to Reno and offering support during the game.

It's on the road at Nevada on Saturday night

The Nevada roster is chock full of newcomers -- seven or eight depending on the definition -- but Coach Davis Carter recently labeled his freshman as sophomores at this point in the season. As expected, the Wolf Pack stumbled out of the proverbial gate but has put together a 5-4 WAC record (8-14 overall). Maybe more importantly, Nevada is 4-1 in conference play at home. Also, the non-league schedule included toughies Pacific, at George Washington, UNLV, at Houston, Arizona State, at Washington and at Portland.

The emergence of freshman Deonte Burton has led this turnaround. Known as a crafty penetrator, his outside-shooting of late has emerged as an equal talent. Besides that development, big man Dario Hunt has expanded his offensive game to where he has doubled his points per game total from last season. But also remember that the now departed Armon Johnson and Luke Babbitt took the majority of shots last season.

The Wolf Pack WAC schedule to date

Dec 31 Hawai'i 86 - 69 (W)

Jan 03 @ Fresno State 74 - 80 (L)

Jan 08 Utah State 67 - 81 (L)

Jan 12 @ Idaho 67 - 72 (L)

Jan 15 @ Boise State 69 - 67 (W)

Deonte Burton scored 20 points and Malik Story added 16 to lead Nevada to a 69-67 victory over Boise State on Saturday night. Dario Hunt had 12 points and eight rebounds as Nevada (5-13, 2-3 Western Athletic) snapped a three-game losing streak. Nevada trailed 56-52 with less than six minutes remaining before Story staged a personal 8-0 run, scoring on a layup and two high-arching 3-pointers from the left corner. The second gave the Wolf Pack a 60-56 advantage with 3:34 left.

Jan 20 New Mexico State 90 - 71 (W)

Deonte Burton scored 22 points to lead five Nevada players in double digits as part of a 90-71 win over New Mexico State on Thursday night. The Wolf Pack (6-13, 3-3 WAC) led 43-36 at halftime and never trailed after that. Dario Hunt picked up a double-double for Nevada with 20 points and 12 rebounds. Olek Czyz added 15 points, Malik Story 10 and Derrell Conner 10 for the Wolf Pack.

Jan 22 Louisiana Tech 66 - 58 (W)

Deonte Burton scored 18 points and Dario Hunt had 16 as Nevada rallied to beat Louisiana Tech 66-58 on Saturday night. Malik Story added 10 points for the Wolf Pack (7-13, 4-3 WAC). Louisiana Tech led by as many as eight points in the first half and led 33-28 at halftime. Nevada opened the second half with a 16-6 run to go up 44-39 with 14:16 left and stretched the lead to 57-45 on a jumper by Jordan Burris with 7:33 to play.

Jan 27 Fresno State 79 - 76 (W)

Dario Hunt had 24 points and 11 rebounds Thursday night as Nevada held on to beat Fresno State 79-76. Deonte Burton added 17 points and Malik Story 13 for the Wolf Pack (8-13, 5-3 Western Athletic), who won their fourth consecutive game.

Feb 2 @ Utah State 67-45 (L)

Brockeith Pane scored 18 points to lead No. 22 Utah State to a 67-45 win over Nevada on Wednesday night for the Aggies' 16th straight victory. The Aggies led 29-28 at the half before beginning the second half with a 21-6 run to take control of the game. Jardine sparked the team during the spurt. Deonte Burton scored 11 points and Dario Hunt grabbed 10 rebounds for Nevada (8-14, 5-4), which was held to its lowest offensive output in 10 years - shooting just 25 percent from the field in the second half.

David Carter's Starting Five

* 6-foot-1 Deonte Burton - 13.5 ppg., shooting 42% overall and 30% from long distance respectively, a team-leading 77 assists, team-leading 26 steals

*6-foot-5 Malik Story - 13.4 ppg., shooting 38% and 42% respectively (figure that one out), 3.4 rpg., he more of a streaky shooter

* 6-foot-8 Jerry Evans - 4.1 ppg., 3.8 rpg., shooting 37%, is long and lanky, starting because of his defensive prowess

* 6-foot-7 Olek Czyz - 13.4 ppg., shooting 56% and 42% respectively, 5.7 rpg., the quickest jumper on the team, not a creator as yet with the ball

* 6-foot-8 Dario Hunt - 13.7 points per game, shooting 54% overall, 72% at the line (he was at 47% last season), 9.4 rebounds a contest, 34 blocked shots but foul trouble in the last few games has limited his playing time

Off The Bench

* 6-foot-6 Patrick Nyeko - like Evans, he's a + defender so he may be used against Adrian Oliver and Justin Graham

* 6-foot-10 Devonte Elliott - has a world of promise, needs to add weight and develop an offensive repertoire

* 6-foot-9 Kevin Panzer - best known as a face-the-basket shooter in high school, he's still adjusting to D-1 basketball

* 6-foot-0 Derrell Conner - the backup at the point, he has been playing better of late, more than half of his shots have been treys, has a 33/33 A-to-TO ratio

* 6-foot-7 Jordan Burris - playing better of late but still rushing his shooting stroke, is more of a shooter than anything else at this point

As a team, Nevada is shooting 43% overall, allowing opponents to make 42%. minus 65 in turnovers, minus 55 in steals.

The Nevada Roster (alphabetized and by position)

Jordan Burris G 6-7 205 Fr
Deonte Burton G 6-1 185 Fr
Derrell Conner G 6-0 165 Jr
Jerry Evans G 6-8 188 Fr
Jordan Finn G 6-4 190 Fr.
Keith Fuetsch G 6-0 170 So
Patrick Nyeko G 6-6 180 So
Malik Story G 6-5 225 So

Adam Carp F 6-7 215 Sr
Marko Cukic F 6-9 250 So
Olek Czyz F 6-7 240 Jr
Devonte Elliott F 6-10 220 Fr
Dario Hunt F 6-8 230 Jr
Keith Olson F 6-10 270 Jr
Kevin Panzer F 6-9 205 Fr

SJSU wins in double overtime 92-89

What quickly became apparent is that neither team was going to run away from the other -- the Idaho and San Jose State squads were very evenly matched on the 30 degree night in Moscow. That was outside, thankfully not inside the Cowan Spectrum, for the literal-minded.

At the half, the score was 29-28. Adrian Oliver led SJSU with 12 points (5-9 shooting) and Justin Graham contributed nine.

At the 15:53 mark of the second 20 minutes, it was the Spartans ahead 33-32. SJSU upped the margin to two, 42-40, with 12:59 showing.

San Jose State was down by four at the 7:45 mark but an Oliver and1 three-point play cut it to one.

Eventually, a Jeff Ledbetter trey upped the Vandal margin to six, 55-49. Brandon Wiley put back in an offensive rebound to make it eight.

With 3:55 on the clock, Graham followed with his own and1 three-point effort to reduce the deficit to five.

Kyle Barone scored inside, was fouled and nailed the free throw, boosting the point differential back to eight.

Oliver then tickled the twine with a hook shot.

With 2:31 showing, Shawn Henderson sank two free throws to make it 62-54.

Barone's jumphook in the paint made it 10.

Graham followed with a jumper from the foul line.

After a steal by Wil Carter, Keith Shamburger was fouled in the act of shooting. He sank both, making it 64-58 at the 1:58 mark.

Wiley was fouled in the lane with 1:16 showing and made both -- score 66-58.

Carter grabbed a loose ball and scored with 58 seconds left.

Shamburger tipped the ball away from his opponent, Graham got it and hit Shamburger with a pass. The freshman backcourter scored, was fouled by Wiley and made the free throw. making it 66-63 at the 45 second mark.

Carter was then elbowed by Wiley who was called for an intentional foul. Carter was awarded a pair of free throws -- he missed the first and then the second. SJSU then was awarded possession with 23 seconds left.

Graham quickly nailed a top of the key trey with 18 second showing.

Idaho got the last shot attempt but it wasn't close, creating an overtime period.

Oliver was fouled and missed both free throws. Carter rebounded the second miss and scored on the putback.

Barone was fouled by Matt Ballard and made both.

Oliver entered the lane with the ball, lifted and scored. He also was fouled and he notched a three-point play. SJSU led 71-68.

But Jeff Ledbetter came down and sank his own trey attempt,. making it 71 all.

London Tatum was fouled on a driving layup attempt, sending him to the foul line. He missed the first but made the second.

Oliver put in a leftside trey but Matt Ballard was called for an intentional foul, sending Barone to the charity stripe. He made both and Idaho also retained possession of the ball.

Luiz Toledo buried a jumper to put Idaho ahead 76-74.

Henderson then buried a leftside three-pointer after stealing a pass.

Graham was fouled on a dribble-drive, sank both and cut the margin to 79-76.

1:40 shone on the clock.

Idaho missed a shot and Oliver rebounded.

With 37 seconds remaining, Carter put back a miss by Shamburger.

The Vandals led by one.

Tatum, a 61% free throw shooter, was fouled with 27 second sleft.

He made the first, then the second and Idaho was up three.

At the eight second mark, Keith Shamburger scored on a three-pointer, evening up the game.

Idaho called timeout with six seconds.

But Kyle Barone missed a turnaround jumper, sending the game into a second overtime.

Carter won the tip, Shamburger missed but Carter rebounded. Another trey attempt by Shamburger was good.

Ledbetter missed his own trey attempt but Idaho rebounded. Shamburger was called for a reach in foul on Luiz Toledo. The latter sank the first but missed the second.

Graham hit Shamburger with a pass and the frosh nailed another trey, making it 87-82.

Idaho missed a three-pointer but SJSU committed a turnover. It was 87-84 after Toledo hit another jumper.

A couple of missed shots later, Idaho got the ball. Ledbetter rebounded a miss and was fouled. He made both -- the score 87-86 with 1:42 showing.

Graham scored on a jumper, boosting the lead back to three.

But Ledbetter scored on a leftside trey, evening up the game.

Shamburger was fouled with 23 seconds left. He missed the first and sank the second.

SJSU led by one, 90-89.

Ledbetter then missed on a drive, Ballard rebounded and Carter scored on a dunk to finally close out the marathon.

Justin Graham paced the Spartans with 28 points. Adrian Oliver contributed 25, Keith Shamburger 20 and Wil Carter 17.