San Jose State vs. Portland final score: Spartans drop first game of the year to the Pilots

The San Jose State Spartans took their first loss of the season to the Portland Pilots with a score of 77-66 at the Event Center on Tuesday night.

San Jose State was looking to start their season 2-0 for the first time since 2010-11 as they hosted Portland. They set a goal that didn't come true.

The Spartans got off to a good start with a 8-0 lead at 16:13 of the first half, but the lead was short-lived as the Pilots slowly creeped up to take a mere 21-19 lead at 7:32.

Less than four minutes later, San Jose State threw a lone free throw and a couple of three-pointers to make it a one-point game. They went on to take a 35-32 lead into halftime. There was another silver lining for the Spartans as Brandon Clarke led all scorers with 17 points in the first half.

The Spartans came in at halftime and made some adjustments. However, that wasn't enough to pick up a win. They couldn't get their offense going.

The Pilots had a 13-0 run in the second half. Even better, Jazz Johnson nailed a three-pointer from the right wing to cap off the Portland run.

The Spartans hustled back on offense, but continued to trail by 10 points late in the second half. Clarke finished with a double-double for San Jose State.

The Pilots improved to 2-0 with a 77-66 victory.

Forward Gabe Taylor had a career-high 24 points and nine rebounds. Guard Alex Wintering scored 20 points and 11 assists.

The Spartans will return to action when they host the Denver Pioneers Thursday night at 7:00 pm PST.