Osobor scores 31 points to lead No. 17 Utah State past San Jose State 82-61
AP
Jan 31, 2024
LOGAN, Utah (AP) Great Osobor scored 31 points to lead No. 17 Utah State Aggies to an 82-61 victory over San Jose State Spartans on Tuesday night.
Osobor had his third 30-point game of the season to help the Aggies (19-2, 7-1 Mountain West) win their third straight game. The junior forward accounted for nearly one-third of his team’s total baskets by himself while picking apart San Jose State’s defense in the paint.
“Regardless of how I play, I try to stay with that mindset and that confidence that you’re going to have to struggle to guard me,” Osobor said. “I’m pretty confident as a player and I felt like my team put me in good positions to be successful tonight.”
Ian Martinez had 16 points, and Darius Brown II added 11 points and 10 rebounds for the Aggies. Utah State shot 60% from the field and outrebounded the Spartans 39-25.
MJ Amey led San Jose State with 14 points and Alvaro Cardenas had 11. The Spartans (8-13, 1-7) scored 15 points off 14 forced turnovers but shot just 39% from the floor.
Utah State went smaller on defense, playing Josh Uduje at power forward in place of Isaac Johnson for long stretches to disrupt San Jose State’s perimeter shooters. The Aggies limited the Spartans to 21% from beyond the arc.
“I thought that was effective against us,” San Jose State coach Tim Miles said. “When they were bigger, I thought we operated with a little more flow on offense.”
San Jose State took advantage of some sloppiness from Utah State and seized a 15-10 lead after scoring eight points off five early turnovers. Amey accounted for three of the Spartans’ first five baskets.
Utah State surged in front late in the first half while San Jose State endured a cold spell on offense. The Spartans made one basket over a 5 1/2-minute stretch.
Osobor had no trouble finding a rhythm on the other end. He punctuated a 10-2 run with back-to-back baskets that gave the Aggies a 35-26 lead.
He picked up where he left off in the second half and scored three of Utah State’s first five baskets after halftime. With Osobor relentlessly attacking the rim, the Aggies used a 12-0 spurt to extend their advantage to 53-36.
“Once we started getting stops, our energy picked up in the second half,” said Utah State coach Danny Sprinkle, who earned his 100th career victory. “That’s when we got some transition post-ups for Great and we really punched that ball inside.”
Osobor went 9 for 15 from the field and 13 of 19 at the foul line. He accounted for all of Utah State’s free-throw attempts until Uduje made a pair with 2:52 left.
The 19 free throws were the most attempted by a Utah State player in one game since 1970.
BIG PICTURE
San Jose State lost to a Mountain West opponent by double digits for a third consecutive game and closed out January with one win in eight games.
Utah State has won 31 straight home games against San Jose State dating to 1982. The Aggies have lost just three times in the last 40 meetings.
UP NEXT
San Jose State visits Nevada on Friday.
Utah State visits San Diego State on Saturday.
---
Get poll alerts and updates on AP Top 25 basketball throughout the season. Sign up here.
---
AP college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-basketball-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-basketball
Copyright 2025 STATS LLC and Associated Press. Any commercial use or distribution without the express written consent of STATS LLC and Associated Press is strictly prohibited.
1st Half
SJSU
Spartans
30
UTST
Aggies
37
Time
Team
Play
Score
20:00
(Aggies gains possession)
19:38
+2
Isaac Johnson makes two point jump shot
0-2
19:18
Trey Anderson misses two point jump shot
19:16
Isaac Johnson defensive rebound
19:11
Darius Brown II turnover (lost ball) (Adrame Diongue steals)
19:06
Myron Amey Jr. misses two point layup
19:06
Myron Amey Jr. offensive rebound
19:06
+2
Myron Amey Jr. makes two point layup
2-2
19:04
Great Osobor shooting foul
19:04
+1
Myron Amey Jr. makes regular free throw 1 of 1
3-2
18:55
Adrame Diongue personal foul
18:55
+2
Ian Martinez makes two point layup (Darius Brown II assists)
3-4
18:20
Mason Falslev blocks Tibet Gorener's two point layup
18:18
Mason Falslev defensive rebound
18:06
Alvaro Cardenas personal foul
17:58
Isaac Johnson turnover (lost ball) (Adrame Diongue steals)
17:52
+3
Myron Amey Jr. makes three point jump shot (Alvaro Cardenas assists)
6-4
17:19
Great Osobor misses two point jump shot
17:17
Great Osobor offensive rebound
17:15
Great Osobor misses two point layup
17:13
Spartans defensive rebound
17:03
+3
Trey Anderson makes three point jump shot (Myron Amey Jr. assists)
9-4
16:37
Ian Martinez turnover (bad pass)
16:25
Trey Anderson misses three point jump shot
16:23
Mason Falslev defensive rebound
16:18
Trey Anderson shooting foul
16:18
+1
Great Osobor makes regular free throw 1 of 2
9-5
16:18
Great Osobor misses regular free throw 2 of 2
16:18
Myron Amey Jr. defensive rebound
16:05
+2
Tibet Gorener makes two point layup
11-5
15:52
+2
Darius Brown II makes two point layup
11-7
15:28
+2
Myron Amey Jr. makes two point layup
13-7
15:20
Diogo Seixas shooting foul
15:20
TV timeout
15:20
+1
Great Osobor makes regular free throw 1 of 2
13-8
15:20
Great Osobor misses regular free throw 2 of 2
15:20
Myron Amey Jr. defensive rebound
14:50
Tibet Gorener misses three point jump shot
14:48
Darius Brown II defensive rebound
14:37
+2
Josh Uduje makes two point dunk
13-10
14:09
Ian Martinez blocks Myron Amey Jr.'s three point jump shot
14:07
Great Osobor defensive rebound
14:05
Great Osobor turnover (lost ball)
13:58
Tibet Gorener misses three point jump shot
13:54
Darius Brown II defensive rebound
13:48
Darius Brown II turnover (bad pass) (Diogo Seixas steals)
13:32
+2
Alvaro Cardenas makes two point layup
15-10
13:11
+2
Great Osobor makes two point jump shot (Javon Jackson assists)
15-12
12:46
Diogo Seixas turnover (bad pass)
12:21
Josh Uduje misses two point jump shot
12:19
Adrame Diongue defensive rebound
11:51
Alvaro Cardenas misses three point jump shot
11:49
Darius Brown II defensive rebound
11:41
+2
Kalifa Sakho makes two point dunk (Darius Brown II assists)
15-14
11:14
Alvaro Cardenas turnover (bad pass)
11:14
TV timeout
10:56
+3
Ian Martinez makes three point jump shot (Kalifa Sakho assists)
15-17
10:35
+2
Adrame Diongue makes two point layup (Ricky Mitchell Jr. assists)