Spartans Improve to Over .500 After Defeating UC Davis

Courtesy: San Jose State Athletics

The San Jose State Spartans are now 4-3 on the season thanks to a 73-64 win over UC Davis on the road on Wednesday night.

James Kinney led the way with 27 points, and Chris Cunningham chipped in with a double-double (12 points, 10 rebounds).

The Spartans were able to hold the Aggies to season-low 64 points on 38.6% shooting, playing lockdown defense throughout the game.

The first half was a seesaw battle, with both teams possessing the lead at various points but unable to pull away. San Jose State led 35-31 at halftime.

The second half was much of the same. Josh Ritchart’s three-pointer gave the Aggies a 44-43 lead with 15:53 to play. He followed that up with a layup to increase the lead to three, but the Spartans would take over from that point.

Louis Garrett’s three-pointer put San Jose State up by two, and they would extend the lead to seven with 6:50 remaining. The Aggies would claw back to within two in the final minutes, but clutch free throws by the Spartans put the game away.

“This is a big win for us,” said head coach George Nessman. “Our defense was a big key for us in our win tonight. We won a lot of the 50-50 balls and you have to do that on the road to be successful.”

The Spartans’ next is game is on Saturday against Sacramento State.