Spring Break
Wolf Pack outlasts Spartans in final minutes of 74-66 loss
Chris Giovannetti, Daily Senior Staff Writer
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Kirk Snyder said he didn't feel it.
The San Jose State University men's basketball team certainly did.
Working his way down court, SJSU freshman forward Antonio Lawrence's left foot landed on the University of Nevada-Reno's Snyder.
The impact of the collision was disastrous for SJSU.
The sprain to Lawrence's left ankle changed the complexity of the game. SJSU, leading 47-44 at the time of Lawrence's departure, never recovered and fell 74-66 to the Wolf Pack in front of 1,559 fans on Saturday at the Event Center.
"I don't think we go down with him (in the lineup)," SJSU head coach Phil Johnson said when asked how Lawrence's departure affected the Spartans.
With 10 minutes, 40 seconds to play in the game, Lawrence's left foot came down on Snyder as Nevada was trying to break SJSU's three-quarter court trap.
"I never felt it if he did land on my foot," Snyder said.
Lawrence hobbled past half-court before collapsing and writhing on the Event Center floor as Garry Hill-Thomas sunk a lay-up to pull the Wolf Pack to a 47-44 deficit.
Trainers assisted Lawrence off the floor and the freshman watched the Spartans' demise from the end of the bench with one leg propped up.
"We're such a poor rebounding team. We were outsized, and it hurt," Johnson said. "(Lawrence) is the only rebounder I can count on."
Lawrence leads SJSU in total rebounds and is second in the Western Athletic Conference at 3.05 per game. Ironically, Snyder leads the WAC in offensive boards at 3.08 per contest.
On Saturday, Lawrence snatched seven boards in 25 minutes.
As if SJSU's height problems couldn't get any worse, forward Eric Walton picked up his fifth foul with 15 minutes to play.
Walton scored six points, all off high-post plays that not only gave him an open look at the basket but freed up shooters on the perimeter after the Nevada defense collapsed on Walton.
The Spartans (3-11 WAC, 6-17 overall) abandoned their spread offense in favor of a more aggressive style that featured more slashing, picks and motion.
"We wanted to put in some cutting and back-cutting stuff. We're not a pound-it-in team, and we're not a shooting team," Johnson said. "We have to get back cuts and drive to the rim."
SJSU scored a season-high 38 points in the paint, many of which came off lay-ins from guards rolling uncontested to the hoop and catching a high-post pass.
"I thought we held up well (against SJSU's offense). They did a lot of stuff down low and (Nevada head coach Trent Johnson) prepared us for a lot of that stuff," Wolf Pack guard Jerry Petty said. "Guards don't usually go that low, but they played their game, and it worked."
The Spartans went up 7-0 two minutes into the game and after Nevada rallied for a momentary lead four minutes later, SJSU surged to a 33-27 halftime advantage.
The Spartans never showed a hint of closing out the Wolf Pack in the second half, and matters only got worse without Lawrence.
Nevada (10-5 WAC, 15-9 overall) outrebounded SJSU 8-4 after Lawrence left the game. The Spartans failed to grab a single board in the final seven minutes of play and scored only nine points in that span of time.
Nevada outrebounded the Spartans 34-22 and 12-6 on the offensive glass.
The tenacious play of Snyder (18 points, 11 rebounds) and sharpshooting of guard Todd Okeson (17 points on four 3-pointers) helped keep the Wolf Pack in contention.
In the end, it was Petty who was instrumental in lifting Nevada to victory.
The senior guard scored seven points down the stretch, the highlight of which was a three-pointer with 1:05 to play that gave Nevada a 68-64 lead.
"He was the difference down the stretch," Phil Johnson said. "Snyder created problems, and it was hard to come down on him when they kick it out to Petty, and he raises up for a shot. (Petty) is a good college guard."
Hill-Thomas concurred.
"He was left open a lot of times and hit some crucial shots down the stretch," Hill-Thomas said.
The Spartans were in foul trouble all night and Nevada took full advantage of the opportunity, draining 25 of 28 free throw chances.
"We're really competitive about our free throw shooting," said Petty, who was 6-for-6 from the line. "We have contests in practice. We all want to be the best."
For only the third time this season, the Spartans shot at least 50 percent from the floor (28-for-56).
Guard Brandon Hawkins led SJSU with 18 points. Lawrence scored 11 in his shortened tenure and forward Keith Everage netted 10.
Nevada, which clobbered SJSU 86-59 on Jan. 23 at the Lawlor Events Center in Reno, Nev., swept the season series.
"We really didn't want to put ourselves in position to have (to make a comeback)," Hill-Thomas said. "It seems like the last two-to-three seasons, we're always making comebacks. Still, it's nice to fight back and get a W."
Women's Basketball
SJSU Women 77, NEVADA 52: At the Lawlor Events Center in Reno, Nev., the Spartans earned their first WAC road victory behind 28 points from guard Cricket Williams and 14 from forward Tatiana Taylor.
SJSU trailed by as much as seven points in the first half but closed out the half with a 15-6 run.
The Spartans (6-8 WAC, 10-13 overall) led 37-27 at halftime and outscored the Wolf Pack (3-12 WAC, 10-15 overall) 40-25 in the second half.
SJSU is scheduled to host Rice University on Thursday at the Event Center. Tip-off is slated for 7 p.m.
The homestand continues on Sunday with a 2 p.m. scheduled start against the University of Tulsa.
