Kareem Jones
Senior guard Jeremy Hemsley drives past the defense during the Aztecs' 84-56 victory over SJSU on March 2 at Viejas Arena.
Not a lot went wrong for San Diego State men’s basketball on Saturday night against San Jose State.
Jeremy Hemsley’s nine-game streak of recording at least one block ended.
“I think they knew,” Hemsley said. “(I’m) sad to see it come to an end.”
That might have been the worst thing.
SDSU led the entire way during an 84-56 victory over the Spartans on Saturday night at Viejas Arena.
The victory helped keep the Aztecs (19-10, 11-5 MW) in the running for a top-3 seed in the Mountain West Conference tournament, while SJSU (4-24, 1-15 MW) remains in the conference cellar.
Head coach Brian Dutcher said he wanted the Aztecs to treat the Spartans like a tougher opponent than their record may indicate.
“I wanted them to treat San José like the Golden State Warriors,” he said. “I wanted us to play super hard. Put everything into this game. I didn’t want to take an opponent lightly.”
Hemsley did not appear to take SJSU lightly, while leading the team with 15 points and six assists, and he said the team was patient on offense.
“We did a good job at not forcing things and just playing to our advantage,” Hemsley said.
Freshman guard Nathan Mensah finished with his second double-double of the season (13 points, 11 rebounds) to join Hemsley in double figures.
Mensah said the friendly confines of Viejas Arena helped him out.
“I felt great. We have been on the road for so long, and I’ve been struggling on the road. We played a home game, and it boosted my confidence,” Mensah said.
Sophomore forward Jalen McDaniels (13 points), senior guard Devin Watson (12 points) and sophomore guard Jordan Schakel (12 points) joined Hemsley and Mensah in double figures.
Schakel made four 3-pointers, his third consecutive game with at least three, to contribute to a season-high 14 threes for the Aztecs.
Dutcher said Schakel is shooting lights out since coming back from an ankle injury which sidelined him for three games in February.
“I don’t know how we won all those games without him,” Dutcher said. “He’s shooting the ball like crazy, so it’s good having him back.”
The Aztecs host third-place Fresno State on March 6.