San Jose hangs around behind Garland, but turnovers and scoring droughts doom Spartans in Mountain West opener
San Jose State (5-7, 0-1 MW) entered The Pit on Saturday night fully aware of the challenge ahead.
New Mexico (10-2, 1-0 MW) hadn’t lost at home all season, as New Mexico easily pulled away in the second-half for an 88–65 win over the Spartans in the conference opener.
For brief stretches, San Jose State showed it could compete, but sustaining that high-level out, however, proved elusive for Tim Miles’ crew.
The Spartans relied on early perimeter shooting to stay connected in the opening half.
Jermaine Washington, JaVaughn Hannah, and Colby Garland all knocked down threes to counter New Mexico’s physical interior play, helping SJSU absorb the initial surge. Garland, in particular, kept the Spartans afloat, scoring 12 of his game-high 27 points before halftime; providing nearly all of the Spartans’ offensive stability.
But mistakes mounted quickly. San Jose committed nine first-half turnovers, several unforced, stalling possessions before they could develop.
New Mexico capitalized with efficient execution, shooting 56 percent from the floor while steadily getting to the free-throw line. Despite SJSU hitting six first-half threes, the Lobos methodically built a 41–28 lead at the break.
The second half opened with a glimpse of hope for the Spartans.
An 11–3 run sparked by Melvin Bell Jr. in transition, Garland’s third three of the night, and a strong Yaphet Moundi drive cut the deficit to five and briefly shifted the tone. It was the kind of response San Jose State needed: aggressive, composed, and connected.
Unfortunately, New Mexico responded immediately.
Coming out of the timeout, the Lobos drilled back-to-back threes and reasserted control.
Each Spartan push was met with an answer, and the margin slowly widened as San Jose’s offense stalled. Empty possessions became frequent, ball movement stagnated, and the Lobos’ dominance grew with every trip.
The decisive stretch came midway through the half, when San José State endured a prolonged scoring drought of nearly five minutes. During that span, New Mexico ripped off a 9–0 run, ballooning the lead past 20 and effectively ending the contest early.
The Lobos coasted; stretching the margin to as many as 31 points late.
Garland finished with 27 points on an efficient 9-of-17 shooting night, accounting for more than 40 percent of San José State’s offense.
Bell and Pasha Goodarzi reached double figures with 12 and 11 points, but the Spartans struggled to find consistent secondary scoring throughout when the SJS really needed it.
As a team, SJSU shot just 38 percent from the field, compared to New Mexico’s 57 percent – a disparity that told the story more clearly than any single stretch.
For New Mexico, the win marked its 19th straight victory at The Pit and extended its home record to 8–0.
For San José State, it was a familiar Mountain West lesson: competitiveness alone isn’t enough on the road without sustained execution.
The Spartans now get a much-needed 10-day break to regroup and rethink before returning home to face San Diego State on December 30th.
How San Jose State responds, particularly in generating offense beyond Garland, will go a long way in shaping conference play.
Category: General Sports
