Spartans Stumble at Home Against Runnin' Rebels in Conference Clash
The San Jose State Spartans fell to the Runnin' Rebels with a final score of 77-65. The Spartans now hold a record of 0-1, while the Runnin' Rebels advance to 1-0.
In a conference game that saw five lead changes, the San Jose State Spartans were unable to maintain their first-half momentum against the visiting Runnin' Rebels. Despite starting strong and leading with 39 points in the first half compared to UNLV's 32, the Spartans struggled in the second half, adding only 26 points to their tally while UNLV surged ahead with an additional 45 points.
The home team's efforts were led by their ability to convert from beyond the arc, sinking eight three-pointers at a rate of 36 percent. However, this was overshadowed by UNLV's impressive field goal percentage of 68 percent and two-point shot success rate of an astounding 79 percent. The Spartans managed a respectable field goal percentage themselves at nearly half (49 percent) but couldn't match their opponents’ efficiency.
San Jose State showed tenacity on fast breaks scoring six fast break points and demonstrated teamwork with a total of fourteen assists. Their assist-to-turnover ratio slightly edged out UNLV’s at 1.56 compared to UNLV’s ratio of 1.5.
Defensively, both teams had similar stats for steals and blocks; each team recorded three steals while San Jose State had one block against two from UNLV. However, personal fouls proved costly for the home side as they racked up twenty fouls over the course of play.
Despite being outrebounded by six boards overall – with twenty rebounds for San Jose State versus twenty-six for UNLV – it was clear that every possession counted in this closely contested matchup.
Looking ahead after this tough loss on home turf at Provident Credit Union Event Center before an attendance crowd numbering just under three thousand fans (2,982), Spartan supporters will be eager for redemption as they turn their attention toward future games on schedule.
The next challenge for San Jose State will be an away game against Utah State Aggies scheduled on January 30th at Dee Glen Smith Spectrum located in Logan, Utah. Fans can catch all action live via internet broadcast on MW Network starting from seven o'clock in evening local time.