Spartan Daily

Spartans lose in a shootout against Nevada Wolfpack

Raphael Kluzniok

SJSU junior guard James Kinney reaches for a rebound during the Spartans' 76-70 loss to Nevada at the Event Center Saturday night.

The SJSU men’s basketball team encountered two different games against Western Athletic Conference rivals in the past four days.

Thursday’s double-overtime thriller against Fresno State, in which sophomore guard Keith Shamburger hit several big shots in the waning moments of the game, led to SJSU's first WAC victory of the season.

“It was our fourth overtime game this year and it was really good to have one go our way,” head coach George Nessman said after Thursday’s win.

However, Saturday’s bout with fellow WAC rival University of Nevada, Reno, a team ranked just outside the top 25 in the national college basketball rankings, ended differently.

It was a game marked by three-point shooting, as the two teams combined for 44 shots from behind the arc — 25 of which came from the Spartans.

“We knew they were going to come out after that emotional win on Thursday and try to carry that momentum over into this game," Nevada head coach David Carter said.

SJSU did just that by applying defensive pressure on the Nevada offense early in the first half, which led to baskets on the other end for the Spartans.

Nevada answered back with an 11-0 run led by junior guard Malik Story, who hit back-to-back three-pointers, stretching the lead to nine points halfway through the first half.

Shamburger and senior forward Wil Carter brought the Spartans back to within four points of the lead, but the Wolfpack made its second push of the game behind Story, who hit his fourth and fifth three-pointers of the half, extending the Nevada lead back to nine points.

Story tallied 15 points in the first half, all on three-point field goals, and led the Wolfpack to an eight-point lead at halftime.

“I think our guys played with really good intensity,” Nessman said. “In my mind we have been playing better. Our overall basketball quality is getting higher.”

The Spartans took that recent quality play into the second half, where the action started to pick up.

SJSU opened the half on a 9-2 run behind junior guard James Kinney, who made three straight three-point baskets, bringing the Spartans to within one point of Nevada.

Shamburger and freshman guard D.J. Brown got into the act soon after, knocking down three-point shots of their own, and the game was tied at 48 points with 12 minutes to play.

However, Nevada had the answer down the stretch in Duke-transfer senior forward Olek Czyz.

“Czyz got us in the second half,” Nessman said. “Some of that is just his talent. He’s just catching the ball, beasting it forward and knocking guys out of the way and scoring. I don’t know what you’re supposed to do about that.”

Czyz scored 23 of his 27 total points in the second half and added 10 rebounds.

“We called his number at the end," Carter said about Czyz. “They went small and I was trying to go against the mismatch that we had. He came up big.”

His aggressive play down the stretch in the final minutes was the difference in the game, as he led the Wolfpack on a 7-0 run and the eventual 76-70 victory over SJSU.

“Give credit to Nevada,” Nessman said. “They are very good, that’s why they’re in first place in our league.”

Despite the loss, Nessman was optimistic about his team’s play.

“To play like we did with a team that is arguably the best team in the WAC is pretty good progress for us,” he said. “It shows that this team is not done growing and not done fighting.”

Nessman added that he was proud of the team, to some extent, at how competitive it stayed against a team sitting just outside the top-25 in the nation.

“We have to understand where were are as a team and where we are as a program,” he said. “We’re making strides and this team is noticeably better.”