San Jose State Handles Irvine, 72-67

After a pregame shoving match at center court, UC Irvine didn’t put up enough of a fight Thursday night, and lost its fifth Big West game in a row, 72-67, before a crowd of 2,491 at the Event Center.

Terry Cannon, who scored 26 points in the Spartans’ victory Jan. 12 at Irvine, led San Jose (10-8, 5-4) again. Cannon scored 21 points, driving to the basket almost at will and getting five big rebounds, three that he turned into baskets.

Irvine (5-12, 2-7) had 12 first-half turnovers and shot 37% from the field. San Jose shot 42%. Irvine closed to within three points twice in the final minute, but Cannon and guard Les Shepherd combined to make seven of eight free throws in the last 34 seconds to seal the victory.

“Let’s not be mistaken about it, we were outplayed by this team, again,” Irvine Coach Rod Baker said.