The San Jose State men's basketball team defeated Alabama State University in a 70-57 comeback win at the Provident Credit Union Event Center on Tuesday night.
Spartans junior guard Omari Moore finished with 19 points, 5 rebounds and 4 assists. Sophomore guard Alvaro Cardenas recorded 17 points and shot 3 of 5 from the 3-point line.
“I thought Omari played through some trials and tribulations,” said SJSU head coach Tim Miles. “He stayed aggressive, he stayed within himself, he got other guys involved and played very solid defense at the same time.”
Going into the matchup, SJSU won its last game against Bethesda University 90-68.
The Spartans had a 2-0 record and were looking to maintain their winning streak.
On the contrary, Alabama State came in winless at 0-3.
The Hornets struck first when Eric Coleman made a 3-pointer with 18 minutes, 57 seconds left in the first half to put the Hornets on the board.
With the Spartans trailing 9-0, Cardenas hit a 3-pointer, giving the Spartans their first basket of the game.
The Spartans continued to close the gap when Moore made a close field goal in the paint for SJSU at the 9:19 mark in the first period to make it 20-15.
SJSU center Ibrahima Diallo made a layup at the 6:23 mark of the first half, helping his team inch closer at 24-21.
The Spartans finally tied the game at 32-32, with 2:03 left in the half.
SJSU took its first lead on a second-chance free throw by Cardenas at 32-33, with 42 seconds left before halftime.
Moore made a driving layup with 6 seconds left in the first half to give SJSU a 36-33 lead going into the break.
Despite SJSU shooting 50% from the field in the first half, the Spartans held Alabama State to 52% shooting from the field and 40% from beyond the arc.
Hornets guard Isaiah Range was Alabama State’s leading scorer and ended the game with 18 points.
SJSU started to pull away early in the second half.
Cardenas made a 3-pointer at the 17:37 mark in the second half to put the Spartans up 40-35.The shot drew an electrifying applause from the crowd.
The Spartans got their biggest lead of the game after sophomore forward Robert Vaihola made a layup, with 12:43 to play, extending the lead to 49-41.
From then on, SJSU went on a 21-16 run to end the game and close out the Hornets.
Although the Spartans got the win, Tim Miles gave credit to Alabama State’s play on the floor.
“It was just about, ‘Okay, what's going on tonight, who's going to take control of the game?’ and our guys know that they've got to come out and play with great vigor, to be able to do those things and tonight, I thought Alabama State was just a little sharper,” Miles said.
Tuesday's contest was a block party for Diallo as he recorded a school record of 8 blocks.
SJSU is scheduled to host Hofstra University at 7 p.m. on Thursday in the Provident Credit Union Event Center.
