Spartans fall to Utah State 89-77

Has anyone ever been 'threed' to death? Well, not exactly death -- that's over the top with dramatic license -- but Utah State as a team was definitely 'en fuego' dialing in from long distance in the initial 20 minutes

The score was 43-27 at the half, with the Aggies shooting 9-18 on three-point attempts -- four makes in the initial five and a half minutes. The game started out with a quick 13-2 run by Utah State and USU kept the pedal to the metal. At one point, Stew Morrill's group has a 16-6 rebounding edge but it was reduced to nine after 20 minutes.

But San Jose State dug in defensively -- switching from a zone defense to man-to-man in the second half -- and closed to 55-43. The Spartans reduced the difference to 11 and then nine and finally eight. Utah State fought back but a Robert Owens three-point play cut it to 59-52 with 12 minutes to go. SJSU was shooting 68% at one point.

Another Owens trey made it 65-57. Two Owens free throws then brought it it 65-59. Making another visit to the foul line, Owens nailed one of two, making it 65-60.

But the Aggies responded with a tip in by Brady Jardine and a dunk by Gary Wilkinson.

Later, DeVonte Thomas tipped in a missed shot, was fouled and he put in the free throw. That and-1 put San Jose State down by just four, 69-65.

It was a matter in the second half of multiple Spartan scoring runs, with Utah State counterpunching.

Adrian Oliver was fouled at the 4:40 mark and awarded three free throws. He made them all to again reduce the Aggie lead to four.

But Jared Quayle then poured in seven straight points -- a three-pointer plus two other jumpers -- and that finally proved too much to overcome. He topped Utah State with 21 points.

Adrian Oliver led the way with 20 points and Robert Owens contributed 18. Chris Oakes provided a double-double with 13 points and 11 boards.

San Jose State bested USU in shooting 53% to 52%. SJSU went 5-12 from three-point range and the Aggies 11-23. The boardwork was close with 31 for the Logan-ites and 29 for the Spartans. Utah State committed five turnovers to eight for the SJSU.

NOTES: Gary Wilkinson missed time in the first half with a thumb injury, the seriousness to be determined as he did return to the game ... Yes, the student section is loud at The Spectrum -- which is like saying The Louvre has some good paintings -- as we could hear through the radio what was being shouted ...

San Jose State versus Utah State tonight

To Stew or not to Stew (Morrill) has thankfully been a long settled question in Logan. Yes, there are those who dream about what another coach could and would do to raise the Utah State men's basketball program beyond its very successful Mid-Majority status but it's the fringe who bother with this fantasy. So let's cut the coaching segment short here as it's a long settled question.


In the previous game between these two team on January 22, we wrote:

A summary of tonight's game is somewhat difficult to compose because there were just a couple of elements that stood out. After a misfiring beginning, Aggie Gary Wilkinson came on and resonated with consistent scoring all night, finishing with 25 points. It did take him 19 shots to reach that total but it appeared he primarily got the shots he and Coach Stew Morrill wanted.

And we counted but one run in the game, it taking place soon after the second half. Utah State took advantage of a quick bevy of San Jose State turnovers and extended a small lead into a double digit one and remained ahead the rest of the game. During this time, Utah State's Tyler Newbold seemingly set up shop in the right corner and nailed two wide open three-pointers combined with another Aggie deuce. But Newbold wasn't quite done as he also then totaled another trey along with a followup two-pointer -- this after being relatively quiet earlier in the contest.

A Wilkinson dunk at the 15:12 mark gave Utah State a 42-30 lead. With 4:40 showing, USU was ahead 55-46.

With less than a minute to go, Aggie point Jared Quayle (who had a tough time at the foul line going 4-7) missed a free throw and Justin Graham scored on a layup to cut the deficit to six, 58-52, with 48.7 seconds on the clock.

Tai Wesley was fouled but he also missed a shot at the charity stripe and Graham nailed another layup plus an and/one free throw at the other end to make it 58-55 with 35.5 seconds left.

But Quayle came through at the 31.1 mark when fouled again as he nailed both foul shot attempts to provide breathing room for the Aggies.

SJSU's Robert Owens then put down a trey to cut the lead back to two, 60-58.

After a Utah State time out, Tyler Newbold was fouled with 22.1 seconds remaining and missed both attempts (he's a 73% shooter for the season).

Trailing by two, Graham brought the ball down for San Jose State, penetrated on a dribble-drive but his shot rolled around the rim and out. Utah State rebounded and eventually Stavon Williams was fouled and nailed both his foul shots to put the game away.

Chris Oakes worked hard all evening and collected yet another double-double, this one consisting of 11 points and 13 rebounds. He also blocked a pair of shots and passed for two assists.

The Spartans shot 47% for the night to 38% for the Aggies. USU entered the game shooting 51% for the season, 48% in WAC play. San Jose State's seasonal shooting numbers: 44% and 42% respectively to date.

SJSU also won the rebounding battle 36-28 but the breakdown was a bit wacky as the Spartans grabbed nine offensive and 27 defensive boards. Utah State's rebounding numbers were 14 apiece.

San Jose State also scored better in the paint, 34 to 22.

However, the Aggies had but four turnovers to 12 for SJSU and Utah State generated 18 points from these miscues.

Do note Quayle's bountiful line: 13 points, six boards, four steals, four assists and zero turnovers. We were joking somewhat with the line about him being the most valuable Aggie but...

San Jose State began the game with crisp offensive ballhandling and passing, leading to solid shooting. The Spartans led 6-2, 7-4 and 12-8, the latter at the 11:03 mark of the opening 20 minutes.

A Wilkinson three-pointer put Utah State up 21-18, giving the Aggies their first lead.

At the half, USU led 27-24, with Wilkinson totaling 14 points. The biggest lead for Morrill's team was five while SJSU's largest advantage was four points.

WAC Play To Date

1/05/09 Idaho W 70-61
1/08/09 @ Louisiana Tech W 50-37
1/10/09 @ New Mexico State W 77-67
1/15/09 Fresno State W 65-61
1/17/09 Boise State W 79-65
01/22/09 @ San Jose State W, 62-58
01/24/09 @ at Hawaii W, 67-51
01/29/09 Nevada W, 72-61
01/31/09 @ Fresno State W, 83-77 (ot)
02/05/09 New Mexico State W, 78-59
02/07/09 Louisiana Tech W, 60-52
02/12/09 @ Idaho W, 62-53
02/14/09 @ Boise State L, 66-56

02/18/09 CS Bakersfield W, 78-57
02/21/09 @ Saint Mary's L, 75-64

02/26 Hawaii W, 82-62
02/28/09 @ Nevada L, 84-71


The Aggie Starting Five

6-9 Gary Wilkinson -- He's not always physical in the paint but generally plays smart with his positioning and can also shoot some facing the basket. Wilkinson will be the WAC most valuable player this season. His back is supposedly bothering him but it's hard to tell.

6-7 Tai Wesley -- He's sort of the team enforcer who can and will play physical but sometimes gets overly enthusiastic with this aspect and commits silly fouls.

6-4 Tyler Newbold -- Newbold hasn't enjoyed the breakout season we expected of him (with Jaycee Carroll's departure) but he's still just a sophomore. He's the best defender on the team and rarely makes mistakes as his marvelous assist-to-turnover ratio details.

6-3 Pooh Williams -- He's another strong defender -- his best quality -- but he's an opportunistic shooter who is improving in that aspect as the season concludes.

6-1 Jared Quayle -- The junior college transfer does just about everything for the Aggies -- good shooting, strong rebounding, a fine assist-to-turnbover ratio and he leads the team in steals.

The Bench

6-8 Matt Formisano -- He is the top fill-in for Wilkinson and Wesley, someone who plays intelligently with limited scoring and rebounding prowess.

6-3 Stavon Williams -- Guard him at the three-point line and beyond as he's shooting it if given the opportunity. His percentages have dropped a bit of late though.

5-9 Jaxon Myaer -- He played more early in the season -- before Quayle came on so well -- but hasn't shot effectively and his assist-to-turnover numbers are about even.

6-7 Brady Jardine -- He was activated after redshirting most of the season because 6-10 soph Modou Niang busted a hand. Jardine is a super athlete who will really help down the road and should provide some Aggie YouTube highlights before he is done in Logan.


The Utah State Roster (alphabetical and by position)

Skyler Halford 6-1/170 freshman guard
Deremy Geiger 5-10/165 freshman guard
Stavon Williams 6-3/180 junior guard
Jared Quayle 6-1/180 junior guard
Dominique Cooks 6-3/200 freshman guard
Tyler Newbold 6-4/200 sophomore guard
Jaxon Myaer 5-9/165 freshman guard

Brady Jardine 6-7/220 freshman guard/forward
Pooh Williams 6-3/200 sophomore guard/forward

Clint Lee 6-5/195 junior forward
Tai Wesley 6-7/240 sophomore forward
Matt Formisano 6-8/235 sophomore forward

Modou Niang 6-10/220 sophomore center (out with a busted hand)
Gary Wilkinson 6-9/240 senior center


What Else

*** Coming off a 13-point spanking at Nevada, the Aggies have Senior Night in their favor, in addition to the usual Spectrum mania from the students. That's a trifecta non-mid majority teams wouldn't look forward to facing

*** USU is shooting .475% in league play to 42% for opponents, 39% to 32% on three point attempts

*** No team in the WAC controls tempo better than Utah State -- it's an impossibility to get the Aggies out of running their sets

*** The USU players understand, accept and fulfill their assigned roles better than any other group in the WAC -- just another reason for the steadiness and success of the squad

Update on Hyde Park and Spartan signee Anthony Dixon

Hyde Park 64, Brother Rice 44 -- HP now plays Marist High in the midst of the Illinois state championships.

Hyde Park closes out Rice
Joe Trost
Chicago Sun-Times
March 4, 2009

With a sour taste still in its mouth from its loss to North Lawndale in the Public League Championship, Hyde Park wasted little time taking out its frustration on host Brother Rice rolling to a 64-44 victory Wednesday in a Class 4A Regional semifinal.

The Thunderbirds (25-4) raced out to a 21-10 lead and scored 43 points in the opening 16 minutes. Malcolm Griffin and Aqui Shareef led the way for Hyde Park with 14 points each.

“This was a good game for us to have coming off our loss in the title game,” Hyde Park coach Donnie Kirksey said. “But we need to play better and execute. Every team is good from this point forward.”

Jerome Moore added 13 while Anthony Dixon had 10 for Hyde Park.

Here's a description of Hyde Park:

"...The Indians have a bevy of talented guards in Martell Jackson, Fabyon Harris and Malcolm Griffin. Plus they also have two aggressive big men in Jerome Moore and Anthony Dixon..."

Keep in mind that Anthony Dixon is 6-4 but maybe that qualifies as a 'big' in the prep ranks.

Spartans fall to Nevada 89-66

C.J. Webster was the headliner for San Jose State, playing the 'Big Room' at the Lawlor Events Center but balanced Nevada scoring combined with torrid Wolf Pack shooting the entire game paved the way for Mark Fox's squad to break away in the second half to an easy victory.

SJSU made a run and closed the game to one possession early in the second half but then Nevada exploded to an eight, then ten, then 16-point lead, effectively concluding the contest.

Webster was a Spartan beacon with a double-double of 22 points (7-13 shooting) and 12 boards. Justin Graham added 12. Adrian Oliver was hampered by the flu in addition to his ankle woes.

A total of 52 fouls were called, 28 on San Jose State. Nevada earned 36 free throws, making 29. SJSU was 17-27. For the game, The Pack shot 56% to 36% for the Spartans. San Jose was out-rebounded by five -- 41 to 36 -- but grabbed 21 offensive boards.

Nevada led at the end of the first half 39-31. It was a physical initial 20 minutes with SJSU not shooting well but gaining an advantage with solid offensive rebounding and the resulting second chance points. The Spartans shot 35% from the floor to 58% for the Wolf Pack. Rebounding totals were equal at 19 but 11 of those came on the offensive boards for SJSU. Webster grabbed nine of the 19.

At about the 15 minute mark or so of the first half, we lost the audio from KSJS due to technical difficulties. Of course, during that time, San Jose State pulled within three so we now have concrete evidence that the basketball gods and goddesses have an anti-Spartan fan bias. By the time the audio returned, San Jose State was down by eight.


In other WAC games:

Boise State downed Fresno State 79-65 at Taco Bell Arena Thursday night. Four Broncos scored in double figures: Kurt Cunningham with 15 points, Mark Sanchez scored 13 and Ike Okoye 11. BSU shot 55% on the game. Dwight O'Neill scored 19 points and Paul George added 15 for the Bulldogs.

Idaho hosted Louisiana Tech Thursday night and took a game that was close most of the way by the score of 66-58.

Moor and St. Mary's slam Cardinal Newman

San Jose State signee Aalim Moor and his St. Mary's High (Berkeley) Panther teammates enjoyed big nights in a 66-45 romp over Cardinal Newman (Santa Rosa).

The 6-4 Moor totaled 13 points, nine assists, five rebounds, three turnovers, a pair of steals and a blocked shot -- this in addition to defending Tony Baldocchi -- Cardinal Newman's top backcourter, best player and high (18 points per game) scorer.

Baldocchi had just one point at the half and finished with eight.

The biggest St. Mary's lead was 28 points.

St. Mary's now faces Salesian yet again -- the third time this season -- at Berkeley High on Friday night in the North Coast Section championship game. Both teams are 26-4 on the season.

Go here to read the Santa Rosa Press Democrat article on the St. Mary's - Cardinal Newman game.

San Jose State at Nevada on Thursday

Here's a great photo from Ray Barbour (which will bring back memories of the last seconds against Hawaii the other night). We're undecided: should the WAC decree all games from here on out be played as shirts and skins, with San Jose State insisting on being the latter or should the Spartans employ tearaway jerseys.

On to the preview:

Success is a spoiler. Just ask Mark Fox. His Nevada men's basketball 'franchise' has enjoyed a run like no other in the Western Athletic Conference and such has elevated the expectations of many Wolf Pack fans into the portion of the stratosphere scientists call 'the unreal' -- the strange place that warps the views of all who inhabit it.

Some of the Nevada fans have apparently developed a presumption that the WAC is theirs and that the other squads are allowed residency based on the blessing of the Pack.

It hasn't mattered that Nick Fazekas graduated. Or that JaVale McGee departed after his sophomore season and Ramon Sessions at the conclusion of his junior year. As for the NCAA granting of six years (due to injuries) to complete four seasons of eligiblity for Marcelus Kemp (he's 25 now) well, that's ancient history to the Reno rabid.

Their mantra is simple: win now.

Time and patience for player development, well, that's only applicable to the conference also-rans.

Two steps ahead, one step back...no, that's not a Nevada thing.

Moving relentlessly forward...yes, that's the only known and acceptable direction for the Silver and Black.

Lounging around the Mount Olympus neighborhood, away from the conference riff-raff, is the sole and rightful place to be.

Granted, there are also many Nevada fans who understand the challenges in rebuilding and accept that the progress line isn't always a straight or a continuous one. Call them the reasonables. But they generally don't bother with writing letters-to-the-editor or living life on-line via message boards...generally because they have lives...which Nevada athletics is a part of but not a seemingly life-and-death, oh-so-serious matter. We could say it's the nattering nabobs of negativism versus the Silent Majority but boy does that bring back some awful memories from the 1970s.

IN THE LAST MEETING BETWEEN THESE TEAMS (our game report)

It was a-l-m-o-s-t a tale of two halves but Dickens would have haltingly penned it something like this if he was covering the contest: "It was the worst of times, it was sort of the best of times...at moments..." as Nevada had it's way the initial 20 minutes and actually put the game away then owning a 42-23 halftime lead.

At the 11:57 mark, Nevada led 23-10. With 7:35 on the clock, San Jose State cut the deficit to 10 at 30-20. But with 3:20 remaining, it was back to 17 at 38-21.

In that opening period, the Wolf Pack's Joey Shaw -- entering the game 4-24 from three-point range in league play -- enjoyed a Shaw-shooting-redemption by nailing 4-5 from long distance. He had 16 points at the half and finished the game with 23 -- a career high. Nevada made two thirds of its shot attempts in the first 20 minutes.

A pair of treys from Robert Owens cut the deficit to 11 -- 46-35 -- at the 17 minute mark but Nevada refused to budge any further.

The Spartans weren't necessarily missing the huge offensive role Adrian Oliver usually plays -- he sat out the game with an ankle injury -- however it certainly was a factor. But it was more the defense again that did SJSU in the most as the Wolf Pack shot 33-53 -- 63% -- as a team.

For the game, Owens led the Spartans with 17 points, buoyed by 5-9 three-point shooting. C.J. Webster added 15 points.

Nevada managed a startling nine blocked shots and rebounding turned out to be about even -- 30 for the Pack and 28 for the Spartans, including 16 offensive boards.

NEVADA'S WAC GAMES

Jan 03 Idaho 73 - 78 (L)
Jan 08 @ New Mexico State 79 - 71 (W) OT
Jan 10 @ Louisiana Tech 67 - 64 (W)
Jan 15 Boise State 77 - 63 (W)
Jan 17 Fresno State 65 - 60 (W)
Jan 22 Hawaii 74 - 63 (W)
Jan 29 @ Utah State 61 - 72 (L)
Jan 31 @ Idaho 69 - 65 (W)
Feb 05 Louisiana Tech 75 - 78 (L)
Feb 07 New Mexico State 60 - 62 (L)
Feb 12 @ San Jose State 80 - 68 (W)
Feb 14 @ Hawaii 47 - 46 (W)

Feb 20 Virginia Commonwealth 71 - 70 (W) BracketBuster

Feb 26 @ Fresno State 66 - 68 (L)
Feb 28 Utah State 84 - 71 (W)

NEVADA STARTING FIVE

Nevada is coming off a home win against Utah State where the Pack shot 51% for the game, earned 33 free throws and committed just four turnovers.

*** Note that Ahyaro Phillips, 6-8 210, started in place of Dario Hunt in the Utah State game. He played 22 minutes while Hunt was in for 19. It was the first start of the season for Phillips, who had been averaging 8.1 minutes a contest in league play

Dario Hunt 6-8 230 -- he's a shotblocker deluxe, very raw defensively

Luke Babbitt 6-9 225 -- he hasn't set the league on fire but certainly has produced excellent numbers for a freshman, can play inside and shoot from three-point range

Malik Cooke 6-6 200 -- call him Mr. Glue because he will have points, rebounds, steals, etc; across the board at game's end

Armon Johnson 6-3 195 -- selected by the coaches in the pre-season as the expected Player of the Year, Johnson has come around in the last set of games

Lyndale Burleson 6-3 190 -- he can't shoot but he understands the system and works defensively

THE BENCH

Brandon Fields 6-4 185 -- This has been a relatively lost season for Fields, beginning with a suspension and followed by inconsistent play. His shooting has really suffered.

Joey Shaw 6-6 205 -- The Spartan killer in the game at Walt McPherson Court

Ahyaro Phillips 6-8 210 -- A superb athlete who needs added strength and bulk.

THE NEVADA ROSTER (alphabetical and by position)

Lyndale Burleson G 6-3 190 senior
Brandon Fields G 6-4 185 junior
London Giles G 6-3 180 freshman
Armon Johnson G 6-3 195 sophomore
Ray Kraemer G 6-4 200 junior

Luke Babbitt F 6-9 225 freshman
Adam Carp F 6-7 200 sophomore
Malik Cooke F 6-6 200 sophomore
Dario Hunt F 6-8 230 freshman
Ahyaro Phillips F 6-8 210 freshman
Richie Phillips F 6-7 220 junior
Joey Shaw F 6-6 205 junior

WHAT ELSE

*** Joey Shaw, who entered the game against San Jose State shooting 4-24 from three-point range and inexplicably made five of eight long range attempts, has gone 3-7 since then but is still mired at 32% in league action. (0-0 -- Hawaii, 0-2 -- Virginia Commonwealth in the BB game, 2-2 -- Fresno State, 1-3 -- Utah State)

*** Nevada is shooting 43% in the WAC, holding opponents to 42%. But there's a big difference in three point accuracy: 32% for the Wolf Pack to 40% for its collective opponents

*** Mark Fox's team is out-boarding its conference foes by four a game

Spartan signee Anthony Dixon receives all-city honors

Clyde Travis of the Chicago Sun-Times posted his all-public league player selections on February 26, Anthony Dixon just missed a first-team nod, being the sixth player chosen:

FIRST TEAM

Name - Position - Ht. - Yr.

Chris Colvin, Young, G, 6-3, Sr. (signed with Iowa State)

Malcolm Griffin, Hyde Park, F, 6-4, Sr.(signed with Northern Illinois)

Jeremy Jones, Simeon, G, 6-2, Sr. (unsigned)

Jonathan Mills, North Lawndale, F, 6-5, Sr. (unsigned)

Darius Smith, Marshall, G, 6-0, Sr.(PAC-10 & Big 10 have offered)

SECOND TEAM

Anthony Dixon, Hyde Park, F, 6-4, Sr. (San Jose State)

And from Roy and Harv Schmidt of the Bulls-eye Report:

We look for De LaSalle's supersectional opponent at Chicago State University to be Hyde Park, a team that we had ranked higher than anybody in our preseason rankings of the top 45 teams in the state. As we indicated then and we will say again now, Hyde Park is clearly one of the top four programs in the Chicago Public League this season and features three D1 caliber players in 6'4 Anthony Dixon (San Jose State), 6'2 Malcolm Griffin and 6'5 Jerome Moore.

and

Evaluation

October, 2008: Anthony is a 6'4" combo wing. He is probably more of a wing forward but he is working to expand his game and his versatility to become more comfortable on the perimeter. He is one of the biggest sleepers in Chicago. He is a good scorer inside and has a decent mid range jump shot. He will need to work to extend his range as well as improve his ballhandling on the perimeter.

DeVonte Thomas honored

Just saw this announced by the WAC so congrats to DeVonte for his nomination:

WAC Men's Basketball Player of the Week Announced
3/02/2009

Sylvester Seay, a junior from San Bernardino, Calif. (Arizona State), led the Bulldogs to their first victory over Nevada since 2006. Seay recorded his third career double-double with 28 points and 11 rebounds in the win over the Wolf Pack. He also registered four blocks and three assists in the game, and knocked down four three-point field goals while shooting 50 percent from the field. Against Idaho, Seay scored 23 points on 8-of-14 shooting (57.1 percent), including a 4-of-7 performance from long range. He also pulled down eight rebounds against the Vandals.

On the week, Seay averaged 25.5 points, 9.5 rebounds, 2.0 blocks and 2.0 assists per game. He shot 53.3 percent (16-of-30) from the field and was 8-of-14 from long range. He also hit 11-of-16 free throws.

Other nominees:

San Jose State senior DeVonte Thomas
Idaho senior Trevor Morris
Louisiana Tech junior Kyle Gibson
Utah State senior Gary Wilkinson

Photos from Senior Night -- special thanks goes out to photographer Ray Barbour

1. Tim Pierce had a large contingent of family and friends to cheer him on
2. We should declare every game Senior Night as DeVonte shot 4-4 -- here he is with family
3. DaShawn owned Senior Night with his play
4. Team manager Lily Pham receives a show of appreciation
5. The Pierce clan made up shirts for the special night

It's San Jose State by two, 61-59

Semper paratus is the motto of the United States Coast Guard. It's also something coaches preach incessantly although sometimes to ears that are deliberately deaf. But 'always ready' is great advice for any situation and DaShawn Wright put this in action Saturday in helping to set up a 61-59 San Jose State victory over visiting Hawaii.

Wright had played just 93 minutes in conference games this season but it was his putting himself in the right place at the right time that enabled the Spartans to emerge victorious.

With the score tied at 59 and 9.4 seconds on the clock, Wright blocked a layup attempt by 6-9 Bill Amis but was called for a foul. However, Amis ultimately missed both free throw attempts and the long rebound was batted around until Wright seized it and shot a pass to Adrian Oliver who was streaking up the right sideline. Oliver was just ahead of his pursuers and deliberately fouled (his jersey was grabbed from behind) which resulted in two made foul shots by him (the winning points) and San Jose State retaining possession of the ball.

Here's how the game got to that point: Hawaii's Brandon Adams put in a layup to give the Rainbow Warriors a 56-52 lead. DeVonte Thomas countered with a dribble-drive cross under layup to cut the lead back to two at the 4:01 mark.

Hiram Thompson nailed a three-pointer from the left side to advance the UH lead to five, 59-54. C.J. Webster then banked in a short shot and was fouled but missed the free throw.

With 2:35 remaining, Justin Graham stole the inbounds pass and was then fouled by Thompson, who compounded his initial error when inbounding the ball. Graham made the first free throw but missed the second attempt, leaving the score at 59-57 in favor of Hawaii.

Roderick Flemings, who had been a major pain in the side of the Spartans in the second half, missed a jumper but Amis got the ball back. Another jumper was missed but Amis nabbed the offensive rebound, Finally, Thompson missed a layup at the 38 second mark and Adrian Oliver rebounded.

Webster subsequently had an inside shot blocked but San Jose State grabbed the offensive rebound and Oliver nailed a 16-foot jumper from the left side to tie the contest at 59. with 16.7 seconds showing.

As detailed earlier, Amis was fouled at the 9.4 mark and missed his initial foul shot. SJSU then asked for a 30-second timeout. When play resumed, Amis shot his second attempt off the back rim, leading to DaShawn Wright's grabbing the loose ball and firing it to Oliver.

Oliver led the Spartans with 20 points. Webster checked in with 12. DeVonte Thomas went 4-4 shooting on the night, including three jumpers in the first half. Roderick Flemings also finished with 20.

It was similar to the other night against Idaho in that the contest consisted of a number of mini-runs but with neither team able to break away from the other.

Hawaii had 35 rebounds for the night to SJSU's 34.

At the end of the first half, it was 31 points apiece. Hawaii Coach Bob Nash had a choice to make early on -- at the 15:56 mark -- when star player Roderick Flemings was whistled for his second foul. Nash kept Flemings in the game and ultimately the 6-7 forward scored a couple of baskets in the last five minutes of the initial half without a further foul.