San Jose State (6-19, 1-13 MW) made a brief stop inside the Provident Credit Union Events Center and looked ready to give its home crowd a lasting experience. The Spartans found a rhythm, shared the ball and briefly dominated a disciplined Grand Canyon team (16-9, 9-5 MW).
But as is often the case in a season with razor-thin margins and thin depth, the Spartans’ momentum proved fragile.
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Grand Canyon’s 94-79 victory ultimately came down to dominance in the paint, second-half execution and the little details of the defense that Spartans head coach Tim Myers lamented after the game. The Antelopes shot 62.1 percent from the field and scored 55 points in the second half, turning a three-point halftime advantage into a comfortable margin.
Still, the night didn’t get out of hand from the start. San Jose State rode out the early surge and responded with outside shots, even building a double-digit lead in the first half before Grand Canyon went on a decisive 13-0 run to end the half.
“We came out really strong in the first half and did some really good things, especially offensively, until the last four or five possessions,” Myers said. “Then, in the second half, we couldn’t get a loose ball and then we couldn’t defend and then we lost a little bit of willpower and that was hard to overcome.”
The numbers added to Myers’ frustration. Grand Canyon outscored the Spartans in the paint 54-22 and decisively won the rebounding battle, turning physicality into efficiency and extra chances.
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Colby Garland scored 23 points on 9-of-16 shooting, Pasha Goodarzi added 15 points and Adrian Myers added 13 points in an efficient night scoring from deep and from the free throw line.
However, the Spartans grabbed 17 total rebounds as a team, underscoring the uphill climb that comes with Grand Canyon’s size and activity.
“You can’t put up a defensive effort like that with loose basketball, a lack of rebounding and everything inside and expect to win,” Myers said.
The Grand Canyon, meanwhile, relies on balance and efficiency. Jaden Henley’s 24 points and Makaih Williams’ 14-point, eight-rebound performance set the tone, and the Antelopes’ collective shooting in the second half (75 percent from the field) sealed the win.
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Miles, describing his timeout early in the second half after another Grand Canyon offense, noted that belief was just as important as execution.
“You don’t want guys to get into a position where they’re like, ‘Well, we’ve lost so many games in a row, we’re not going to win,'” Myers said. “We always have to try to win games and I thought we looked a little listless at the start of the second half.”
“I know it’s hard to believe you’re going to win when you haven’t won yet,” Myers added.
Even as San Jose State responded with improved pace and offensive moments, the matchup conundrum remained unresolved.
“It’s a chess game that’s constantly missing pieces,” Myers said. “If you’re going to give up this, we’re going to lose that, and vice versa. When you’re shorthanded, it’s not going to end well.”
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So Valentine’s Day ended not with a celebration, but with another lesson in hopeful resilience for a Spartan team still deeply searching for the formula to turn competitive stretches into full games.
