Sometimes a game is lost long before the final horn sounds. For San Jose State (8-23, 3-17 MW) on Saturday afternoon, it was lost somewhere in the first fifteen minutes.
By the time the Spartans rediscovered their fight, Wyoming (18-13, 9-11 MW) had already imposed its will.
The Cowboys rode a dominant early stretch and a relentless rebounding effort to defeat San Jose State 88–78 at Provident Credit Union Event Center, closing the Spartans’ regular season with another reminder of the challenges that
have defined a difficult Mountain West campaign.
“We mailed in the first 15 minutes of the game,” said SJSU head coach Tim Miles. “We were just out there in the park playing ball. Once we rediscovered some pride and determination, we started playing good basketball and we played all right.”
Unfortunately for the Spartans, by then, the Cowboys had already taken control.
Wyoming shot a blistering 57% from the field and an even more lethal 47% from three-point range; building a 49–36 halftime lead and stretching the margin to as many as 21 points in the first-half.
The Cowboys never trailed.
Much of that early damage came in the paint and on the glass.
Cowboy freshman Gavin Gores delivered his best performance of the season with a perfect 7-for-7 shooting night and 20 points; repeatedly finding space inside for highlight dunks and second-chance finishes.
At one point in the first-half, Wyoming owned a massive rebounding edge midway through the period, a theme that haunted the Spartans all afternoon. The Cowboys had 31 rebounds to San Jose’s 21.
Miles pointed directly to that issue.
“Rebounding is not about size. It’s about your quickness to the ball,” Miles said. “There were times we had two guys within two feet of the ball and we’re just looking at it, and they get it back and end up scoring.”
“Ball-hunting is what matters,” added Miles.
San Jose State actually had some statistical advantages.
The Spartans committed only four turnovers compared to Wyoming’s 12. SJSU also scored 50 points in the paint to Wyoming’s 44. But those numbers were neutralized by Wyoming’s efficiency, depth and rebounding edge.
The Cowboys’ bench points put up 41 points, while the Spartan reserves produced just four.
Colby Garland once again carried much of the offensive burden for San Jose State, finishing with 24 points and five assists.
Miles acknowledged Garland battled through discomfort early in the game.
“I sat on him a whole bunch early because he didn’t feel good,” Miles said. “Then he said, ‘Coach, I can do this,’ and he started playing with a lot more pace.”
Adrian Myers added 17 points while Melvin Bell Jr. chipped in 11, including San Jose State’s first three-pointer of the game midway through the second-half: a drought that symbolized the Spartans’ offensive struggles from long-range.
Still, the Spartans showed flashes of resilience. A late first-half run trimmed a 20-point deficit to 13 at halftime, and several second-half pushes briefly cut the margin to ten.
But every time San Jose State threatened, Wyoming answered.
The Cowboys’ balance of five players in double figures and flawless free-throw shooting (15-for-15) ensured the Spartans never got closer than striking distance.
Now, the focus quickly shifts to the Mountain West Tournament.
Miles emphasized the approach won’t change.
“These next two days we’ll be off and it’ll be really light on Monday going into that tournament,” Miles said. “We need our guys fresh and you won’t see anything different than what we’ve done our last 10 games.”
He also delivered one blunt reminder to his front court.
“Show up with your ass down and your hands ready to play defense.”
At the time of this writing, the Spartans could face either Nevada or Boise in the opening round. SJSU defeated the Wolf Pack over two weeks ago, which then spurred the Pack to wins over Utah State and UNM, but have since cooled.
Regardless, either opponent is an uphill battle for San Jose this Wednesday.
