San Jose State outlast Southern Utah 92-82

San Jose State and Southern Utah met for the first time Wednesday in the Event Center.

For his performance in the win over Bowling Green, Brandon Clarke was named the Mountain West Player of the Week for games played Dec. 12-18. Clarke had the game-winning tip-in and finished with his fourth double-double of the year with 24 points and a season-high 14 rebounds. The sophomore forward moved into second place among all Mountain West players in 2016-17 for shooting percentage (9-of-12 from the floor).

The Spartans were determined to pick up a win.

Sophomore forward Ryan Welage was a perfect 3-for-3 from downtown when San Jose State led Southern Utah 28-16 at 7:42 of the first half. Welage matched a career-high four three-pointers and guided SJSU to a season-best 58% three-point field goal percentage. The Spartans led the Thunderbirds 44-34 at the half.

The Spartans had an eight point lead over the Thunderbirds at 15:46 of the second half. Less than four minutes later, sophomore forward Brandon Clarke notched five blocks. Southern Utah kept it a close game, but junior forward Brandon Mitchell along with the SJSU defense countered their opponent’s attempt to make a comeback.

Junior guard Jalen James topped a career-high of 23 points as the Spartans rolled to a 92-82 victory over the Thunderbirds at home.

The Spartans head to Nevada to take on the Wolf Pack. Tipoff is scheduled for 7:00 pm PST on Mountain West Network and KLIV 1590 AM.