College basketball kicked off this past week, and Mountain West teams made their season debuts in exhibition matchups over the past 10 days. Some teams impressed, while others left their fans depressed. Here’s how all 11 MW teams fared:
San Diego State
Led by senior forward Winston Shepard, the Aztecs dominated Cal State San Marcos 86-48. Shepard notched 22 points and five assists, while big men Angelo Chol and Skylar Spencer combined to chip in 20 points and 13 rebounds.
Next up: vs. Illinois State Nov. 13
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Utah State
The Aggies split their two exhibition games routing Oklahoma Panhandle State before being blown out by Division II Cal State-Monterey Bay. Poor shooting cost the Aggies against Cal State-Monterey Bay, who dominated USU 77-60 at the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum. Sophomore David Collette had 22 points, but Utah State shot 33 percent from the field and 4 of 22 from behind the 3-point line.
Next up: at Weber State Nov. 13
Wyoming
The post-Larry Nance Jr. era didn’t begin the way Wyoming had hoped, as the Cowboys lost 77-69 to Division II Fort Lewis in overtime at the Arena Auditorium Saturday night.
Adams’ game-high 18 points came on 5-of-12 from the field and 8-of-10 at the free-throw line, as he added four rebounds and three steals in 23 minutes. However, he not play the majority of the second half. Redshirt sophomore guard Trey Washington III added 10 points, four rebounds, four assists and three steals.
Next up: Exhibition vs. Bristol University Nov. 13
New Mexico
Cullen Neal’s 2015-16 season opened with some good, but also some very bad in two exhibition wins for New Mexico over Division II CSU-Pueblo and Rodgers State. In the Lobos’ 96-84 win over CSU-Pueblo, Neal tallied a game-high 33 points and seven assists, but also turned the ball over eight times. Samford transfer Tim Williams added 15 points and four rebounds. Neal had a similar performance against Rodgers State, scoring 20 points and dishing out four assists, but he gave the ball away four times.
Next up: vs. Texas Southern Nov. 13
Fresno State
Fresno State, one of the possible sleeper teams in the Mountain West this season, dominated Division II Dominican 77-55. Karachi Edo led four players in double-figures with 14 points and seven rebounds.
Next Up: Nov. 13 vs. Pepperdine
Colorado State
After a slow start that CSU fall behind in the first half, the Rams ran away with an 89-65 win over Division II Colorado State-Pueblo Saturday night in Fort Collins. Gian Clavell scored 18 of his game-high 21 points in the first half, and junior college transfer Emmanuel Omogbo added 16 points and seven rebounds.
Next up: at Northern Iowa Nov. 13
UNLV
High-flying freshman Derrick Jones led the Rebels with 20 points and four rebounds in just 20 minutes of action in UNLV’s 94-57 domination of Division II Whittier College. Fellow frosh Stephen Zimmerman Jr. chipped in 13 points and 11 rebounds, while Mercer transfer Ike Nwamu kicked in 12 points of his own.
Next Up: vs. Cal Poly Nov. 12
Boise State
Mountain West Player of the Year candidate James Webb III started off the 2015-16 season with a bang, scoring 17 points and adding 14 rebounds in the Broncos’ 79-55 win over Northwest (Wash.) College. Sophomore Chandler Hutchison added 11 points, 10 rebounds and six assists, and true freshman guard Paris Austin scored 18 points in his first collegiate game.
Next Up: at Montana Nov. 13
Air Force
Guard Zach Kocur scored 19 points and Trevor Lyons added 18 to lead Air Force past Division II Colorado Christian 96-83 Friday night in Colorado Springs. The Falcons led from start to finish, by as many as 22 early in the second half, and shot 50.8 percent from the field.
Next Up: at Southern Illinois Nov. 13
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Nevada
The Wolf Pack routed both Domincan and Alaska-Fairbanks in two exhibition matchups in Reno. Freshman Cameron Oliver led Nevada in the win over UAF with 19 points and eight rebounds. Senior Tyron Criswell led the Wolf Pack with 18 points in 22 minutes off the bench against Dominican.
Next Up: vs. Coastal Carolina in Honolulu, Hawaii
San Jose State
The Spartans routed NAIA Pacific Union 112-59 in San Jose Saturday. Transfer guard Gary Williams Jr. led SJSU with 18 points in his debut, and four other Spartan players scored in double figures.
Next Up: vs. Idaho Nov. 14
Collegian Senior Sports Editor Keegan Pope can be reached at kpope@collegian.com and on Twitter @ByKeeganPope.
