San Jose State University trades 3-point makes as the New Mexico Lobos control paint points at Thomas & Mack Center

San Jose State University entered the Mountain West quarterfinal with a 15-18 mark and left the neutral-site game at Thomas & Mack Center with a 93-77 loss to the New Mexico Lobos, who improved to 27-6. The San Jose State Spartans vs New Mexico Lobos final score reflected New Mexico’s 50-point second half after a 43-36 halftime edge.

First half

San Jose State opened with 36 points in the first half while New Mexico scored 43 in the same segment. The Spartans hit 10 three-pointers on 36 percent shooting from deep while posting 45 percent overall shooting. San Jose generated 16 assists against 13 turnovers for a 1.23 assist-to-turnover ratio. New Mexico forced 4 steals by San Jose but created 9 steals of its own and finished the half with the lead after 4 ties and 12 lead changes over the game.

Second half

San Jose State scored 41 points after halftime, but New Mexico pushed to 50 points in the second half to widen the margin. The Spartans produced 24 points in the paint and added 14 second-chance points on 8 offensive rebounds. New Mexico answered with 56 paint points on 76 percent finishing in the paint and shot 58 percent from the field. The Lobos also won the rebounding battle 38-24 and turned that into 19 points off turnovers, part of the San Jose State Spartans vs New Mexico Lobos key moments.

Closing stretch

San Jose State got 19 points from Adrian Myers in the previous game and 20 points plus 7 assists from Colby Garland in the previous game as the backcourt-forward mix carried usage into the tournament setting. Jermaine Washington’s 6 assists in the previous game pointed to the playmaking role behind the Spartans’ 16-assist team total in this matchup. New Mexico finished with 26 assists and an efficiency mark of 102 while San Jose posted an efficiency of 55, a core note in the San Jose State Spartans vs New Mexico Lobos result analysis. The Spartans left Las Vegas with 1 block and 4 steals, while the Pack posted 1 block and 9 steals to close the possession game.

Postgame notes

San Jose State Spartans coach post-game reaction centered on San Jose allowing 68 percent on New Mexico 2-point attempts while the Spartans made 56 percent of their own 2-point looks. The game drew an attendance of 6236 and aired nationally on CBS Sports Network with a scheduled tip at 8:57 PM EDT.

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