SAN JOSE, Calif., - With a fantastic start and a 19-point lead just 10 minutes into Monday night's game at San Jose State, the CSUB Roadrunners appeared to be closing in on their 12th win of the season, but a furious rally by the Spartans and a standout performance by freshman guard DJ Brown led San Jose State to a 78-70 win over the Roadrunners (11-10) snapping CSUB's four-game winning streak.
San Jose State (6-13) trailed 21-3 following an 18-0 run by the Roadrunners less than 10 minutes into the game, but the Spartans responded with a 16-2 run themselves as they outscored CSUB 29-12 in the closing 9 minutes of the half to take a 36-35 lead at the break. Much of the Spartan scoring came from Brown, who became the first freshman in San Jose State history to score 33 points on 9 of 11 shooting and 5 of 7 from three-point range.
"After the first five minutes I really wasn't happy with our effort," said head coach Rod Barnes. "We played well to build the lead but then started making mistakes, taking bad shots, turning it over and not defending well at all."
The Roadrunners came back in the second half and led by as many as three points following Adam Young's (Jr., Las Vegas, Nev., Barton CC) team-high 17th point on his third three pointer of the game, but the lead didn't last long as Brown once again asserted control scoring the next four points to put the Spartans back on top for good as they snapped their five-game losing streak.
"We played like a team that had a few extra days off, but that's no excuse," Barnes said. "We laid an egg tonight, we had a chance to get a game on the road and we didn't perform and that's unacceptable."
Young led the way for CSUB with a career-high 17 points on 7 of 10 from the field and 3 of 5 from the outside. Issiah Grayson (Jr., Atlanta, Ga., Southern Idaho CC) added 14 points on 4 of 14 from the field while Stephon Carter (Jr., Bakersfield, Calif., Garces HS) added 10 points on 4 of 8 from the field.
CSUB trailed by as many as 9 points in the second half, pulled back within five points following a flagrant foul on San Jose State's Matt Ballard with 5:21 remaining, but could not knock down two three point attempts on the ensuing possession which would have made it a one-possession game. It was the first loss for CSUB on the road inside the state of California this season.
The Roadrunners return home Saturday night to host Cal State Northridge at 7 P.M. at the Icardo Center.
