Spartans take 33 point beating from Nevada

San Jose State’s long, winding road for consistency continued Tuesday night in Reno, as Nevada (14-5, 6-2 MW) delivered an emphatic 87–54 win over the Spartans inside Lawlor Events Center, a venue that has rarely been forgiving to visiting teams and proved no different this time.

The Spartans (6-13, 10-7 MW) came in shorthanded once again, missing Youphet Moundi for a sixth straight game and Colby Garland for a fourth game, along with Ben Rosborough.

With the Spartans still searching for their first road win of the season, the return of Jermaine Washington after a three-game concussion absence was one of a couple bright spots on the evening.

From the opening tip, the Wolf Pack dictated tempo, spacing, and confidence.

Nevada shot a blistering 47% from the field and knocked down eight three-pointers in the first-half alone, building a 39–26 halftime lead that never truly felt threatened.

San Jose State, meanwhile, looked exactly like a team still trying to piece things together amid injuries, absences, and lineup disruption; shooting just 36 percent before the break and struggling to find a consistent scoring rhythm.

Washington showed early aggression finished with 14 points.

Melvin Bell Jr. continued his recent progression, scoring 15 points and shouldering much of the offensive burden on a night when San Jose State desperately needed shot creation.

But without the likes of Garland, Moundi and Rosborough, the Spartans were handicapped.

For San Jose State, now losing of eight of its last nine, the result underscored the steep climb ahead in the rest of their Mountain West gauntlet.

The effort and fight were there but only in periodic bursts.

Particularly for Washington and Bell, their grit, athleticism and scoring alone was well short to make it a game with additional fire power and muscle.

Marcus Overstreet and Adrian Myers provided some level of inside resistance but clearly not enough as a whole for San Jose.

And as a whole, cohesion, shooting consistency, and defensive execution remain works in progress with the short-handed Spartans.

Against a disciplined and confident Nevada team that margin for error simply didn’t exist on Tuesday night, as the Pack applied a relentless full-court press and 1-2-2 defense that kept San Jose off balance all night.

San Jose State heads directly to Laramie for a Saturday bout against Wyoming.

With time on the road to hopefully gather themselves to some degree, perhaps the Spartans keep it loose and creative from this point forward until the cavalry arrives.