Hoping to win the first two games of the season, the San Jose State men’s basketball team lost its home opener to the University of Portland (2-1) 72-57 Sunday.
It was a tough night for the Spartans (1-1) with their offense incapable of creating momentum throughout the game while struggling from the field, from the free throw line and from behind the arc.
SJSU shot 39% from the field, 23% from the 3-point line and a dreadful 31% on free throws.
Sophomore guard Seneca Knight said that it was an off day for the team, but the poor free throw percentage hurt the most.
“It was just us struggling,” Knight said. “We need to get the easy points as they come, like free throws. We need to focus on the line and get those easy points.”
Head coach Jean Prioleau emphasized how much 11 missed free throws hurt the team.
“We did not shoot it well from the free throw line, which if we did it changes the dynamic of the game,” Prioleau said. “But it doesn’t mean that we win the game.”
Being off the mark from the line was detrimental to SJSU, but the low 3-point percentage is something that Prioleau said won’t discourage the team from taking those shots.
“We didn’t take bad shots from three,” Prioleau said. “We had wide open looks, but we didn’t make them.”
The 3-point game is the cornerstone to the Spartans’ offense this season.
SJSU attempted 26 shots behind the arc, but only settled for six made.
Senior guard Brae Ivey, who led SJSU in 3-pointers made last season, said that spreading the court is what the team’s goal is this season.
“Each of us has a role to space the floor and knock down our shots,” Ivey said. “It’s what we’ve been working on.”
The Pilots were knocking down shots from three, shooting 45% from behind the arc.
On top of sinking threes, they also shot 73% from the free throw line, something the Spartans struggled with immensely.
Ivey said that although the Pilots played well, it was more so SJSU’s poor play that gifted Portland the victory.
“I don’t think it was so much as their defense as much as it was just us not being able to knock down shots tonight,” Ivey said.
Prioleau complimented his team’s play on defense despite the rough night scoring.
He said there was no change in the defensive plan at the half to keep pressure on the Pilots, but rather the offense was too weak to get anything going.
“It’s not our defense, we just can’t make a play or a bucket from the free throw line, from the field or for three,” Prioleau said.
The Spartans will have a few days off before heading to the University of Arizona to take on the No. 19 Wildcats in a Pac-12 matchup.
The odds seem stacked against SJSU, but the players look to compete and get a shocking victory on Thursday.
“We got to believe because no one else is going to believe in us so it’s up to us to stay together,” Ivey said.
