The San José State men’s basketball team won its home opening game, defeating the University of California, Irvine 72-64 on Tuesday night.
Trey Anderson led the Spartans with 19 points, shooting seven of nine from the field. Tibet Görener added 17 points, shooting three of four from behind the arc.
The Spartans have won every home opener since 2016.
“It was a great win for our team,” said SJSU head coach Tim Miles. “Tibet Görener and Trey Anderson saved the day for us. They were excellent today and that's what we needed.”
Myron Amey Jr. was the Spartans’ offense in the first half as he initiated shots for himself and others. He ended the first half as SJSU’s leading scorer with eight points.
Solid defense kept the usually high-scoring UC Irvine offense at bay. SJSU held the Anteaters to 40% shooting from the field in the first half and forced eight turnovers.
At the half, the two teams were tied 24-24.
The Spartans came out of the second half firing on all cylinders. SJSU went on a 24-13 run to open the first eight minutes of play and took a 50-37 lead.
The Anteaters cut the deficit to as little as six points, but the Spartans controlled the pace to come out with the win.
“I think we just played physical,” Anderson said. “We set the tone early on the rebounding side and on the defensive side. That was the biggest thing I was proud of.”
The Spartans will be back at home at 8 p.m. Thursday when they host Bethesda University who lost to the University of San Francisco 128-59 on Monday.
