UNLV 77, San Jose State 65 (FINAL): Inside the Spartans live updates and game thread (2024)

Tipoff will be around 6:05.

The live stats now have starting lineups for both teams.

UNLV: Dedan Thomas Jr. (guard), Luis Rodriguez (guard), Rob Whaley Jr. (forward), Kalib Boone (forward), and Keylan Boone (forward).

San Jose State: MJ Amey (guard), Álvaro Cárdenas (guard), Tibet Görener (forward), Trey Anderson (forward), and Adrame Diongue (center).

Prior to the starting lineups being announced, San Jose State held a moment of silence in honor of the recently deceased football head coach Claude Gilbert.

(17:42). San Jose State is up 9-3, forcing UNLV to call the first timeout not even three minutes into the game.

San Jose State scored first with an MJ Amey layup off a Cárdenas assist following a steal by Amey. San Jose State has scored seven straight, with Görener lighting up the crowd with a fast break dunk following a Cárdenas steal.

(14:19) Shooting a very efficient 8-for-8, San Jose State is up 19-11 in the first under-16:00 timeout. They will inbound out of the timeout after a UNLV player knocked the ball out of bounds.

San Jose State is showing a very fluid offense. They took a 17-7 lead after Anderson saved a loose ball in the backcourt with 10 on the shot clock, then found Görener for an open 3.

(11:53) Both teams are exchanging buckets , with San Jose State leading 22-15 in the under-12:00 timeout.

Kalib Boone somehow hit a layup at the shot clock buzzer while double teamed, but Cárdenas responded with a layup and-one fouled by Johnson, for a 22-13 Spartan lead. San Jose State is shooting 9-for-10, but UNLV is 7-for-10, exposing a defensive weakness resulting from the lack of depth at the forward position.

(7:56) An offensive foul on Thomas brings the game to the under-8:00 TV timeout with San Jose State up 27-18. The offense is slowing down on both sides. Having made their first eight baskets, San Jose State is now shooting 11-for-17, indicating only three makes in their last nine attempts. However, San Jose State is stepping up on defense holding UNLV to 8-for-14 (57 percent) after UNLV was going basket-for-basket early against San Jose State.

Foul trouble is alsothreatening San Jose State; they have six fouls to UNLV's four.

(5:44) Tim Miles is not happy with what he sees and calls a timeout with San Jose State up 32-23. Initially, the Spartans went on a 5-0 run for the largest lead at 32-20, with an Anderson three and Cárdenas jumper. However, UNLV responded withthree straight points of their own, most recently a Thomas jumper after DJ Seixas had a pass stolen in the paint. San Jose State leads 32-23.

(2:19) UNLV is creeping ever closer with San Jose State leading only 35-32, a 12-3 run since San Jose State led 32-20. Anderson was called for a foul, stopping the game for the final TV timeout of the half. San Jose State has no answers to UNLV's inside game; UNLV has a 24-16 advantage on points in the paint.

(0:00) San Jose Stateheld off the UNLV threat with a 4-0 run to end this half, leading 39-32 at the buzzer.

Starting the game 8-for-8, San Jose State is leading 39-32 vs. UNLV at halftime in a showing of offensive firepower on both sides.

For much of the half, San Jose State kept UNLV at a distance thanks to timely defensive stops and takeaways, leading as much as 32-20. However, UNLV went on a 12-3 run and threatened to flip momentum, before San Jose State scored four straight in the final 2:19 with layups by the Iberian duo of Cárdenas and Seixas.

Cárdenas and Görener lead San Jose State with 10 points each. Amey has nine points and a team-leading four rebounds. For UNLV, Thomas has 10 points.

San Jose State shot 16-for-26 in the first half; UNLV 14-for-24. Miles will need to make some serious defensive adjustments to stay in front; multiple times San Jose State has blown large leads in conference play.

Also, neither team is shooting well from the free throw line: San Jose State 1-for-5, UNLV 2-for-7.

During halftime, new football head coach Ken Niumatalolo made his first appearance at a San Jose State game and gave brief remarks. He was accompanied by athletics director Jeff Konya and new offensive coordinator Craig Stutzmann.

(16:48) Keylan Boone blocked Diongue on a layup attempt as the shot clock expired, and referees then paused the game for a replay review. The review found there to be a shot clock violation and no foul, angering a very vocal fan in the stands.

This is a slow second half so far. Both teams have only scored on one free throw each. Kalib Boone was fouled twice on shot attempts by Gorener but hit onlyone out of four free throws. Anderson also missed one free throw.

(15:21) An illegal screen call on Kalib Boone calls up the under-16:00 timeout with San Jose State leading 40-35. San Jose State is shooting 0-for-6 this half with only one point, butdefensively they have held UNLV to three points.

(11:50) San Jose State led 45-35, only to give up five unanswered thanks to untimely turnovers and foul trouble. San Jose State already has seven fouls after an illegal screen call against Trey Anderson takes the game to the under-12:00 TV timeout. Garrett Anderson committed two fouls in just two seconds, leading to one point off a Keylan Boone free throw.Earlier inthis run, Amey lost a dribble off his foot during a fast break attempt.

(10:06) UNLV takes their first lead of the second half 48-47 off a Jackie Johnson III layup, forcing Miles to call a timeout. UNLV has outscored San Jose State 16-8 this half, including 13-2 in the last 3:20.

The defensive trouble continues for San Jose State. Garrett Anderson committedperhaps his worst foul of the night, his third foulon a successful three-point shooter. Brooklyn Hicks hit the three, but Anderson at least grabbed the rebound off the free throw miss. UNLV led 45-43, but Cárdenas responded with a layup on a no-call for a 47-43 lead. UNLV responded with five unanswered.

(7:10) Diongue is called for a foul, his fourth and the team's tenth, leading to the under-8:00 TV timeout. Down 56-53, San Jose State has already put UNLV in the double bonus while drawing only four fouls of their own.

San Jose State has been stuck in a cycle of exchanging buckets due to the inability to get timely stops. Trey Anderson quickly hit a layup out of the last timeout, but Diongue was called for defensive goaltending on the other end to give UNLV the lead back 50-49.

(3:49) Once having led by 12, San Jose State calls a timeout down 11, 69-58. UNLV has shot a perfect 11 out of their last 11.

The UNLV lead ballooned to 60-53 after a Rodriguez dunk, but Amey drew a foul also on Rodriguez while attempting a three. He did hit all three free throws to cut the gap to 60-56. But UNLV went back up 63-56 after an NBA-range three by Johnson. Amey hit a layup, but Johnson followed with another deep Johnson three for a 66-58 UNLV lead. UNLV then took a 69-58 lead off a Rodriguez three, forcing Miles to call a timeout.

Despite a hot start on offense, San Jose State (8-12, 1-6 MW) struggled on offense all night and blew a 12-point lead, losing 77-65 vs. UNLV(10-9, 3-4 MW) on Saturday night.

Four Spartans scored in double figures, led by MJ Amey with 18 points, Álvaro Cárdenas with 14, Tibet Görener with 13, and Trey Anderson 11. For UNLV, Keylan Boone had 18 points, Dedan Thomas Jr. 16, and Jackie Johnson III 12.

San Jose State started the game making their first eight shot attempts. For the game, San Jose State shot 26-for-53 (49 percent) but never could put together a good defense. UNLV shot 30-for-44 (68.2 percent), the most by any San Jose State opponent this season.