GAME NOTES: Time is running out for the San Jose State Spartans to locate that elusive first win of the season against another Division I school.

This week the team tries for a second time against fellow Mountain West Conference member Utah State, this time at home in The Event Center on Wednesday night.

The Spartans, who have been dealing with injuries and disciplinary problems all season long, have just two victories to their credit, neither of which have come in conference play or against another D-I opponent for that matter. The first victory was against Bethesda University of California, a program that plays in the National Christian College Athletic Association, on Nov. 14, the other being a triumph over St. Katherine College on Dec. 9.

Since that win more than two months ago, SJSU has fumbled its way to 14 consecutive defeats, the latest being a 77-60 setback versus Wyoming in Laramie over the weekend.

As for the Aggies, they are shooting for a third straight win for the first time since the end of December, beginning of January. A well-rested squad, USU last took the floor eight days ago against Nevada and captured a 75-62 win at home in Logan. Utah State is now 7-5 in conference, compared to 0-12 for the Spartans.

These teams kicked off the conference schedule on New Year's Eve, with the Aggies pummeling SJSU at the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum by a final of 61-33. The Spartans shot an awful 20.0 percent from the field, while Jalen Moore led the way for the hosts with 19 points and 11 rebounds.

Utah State has won 15 straight in the series and 21 of the last 22 encounters. The Spartans, who last won on this very date back in 2008, trail in the all- time series by a count of 54-21.

The Aggies shot a sizzling 63.6 percent from the floor, including 5-of-9 behind the 3-point line, in the first half versus Nevada and never looked back en route to the double-digit victory on Feb. 10. Chris Smith posted a game-high 18 points, Moore another 17, followed by David Collette and Julion Pearre with 14 and 12 points, respectively, while fellow starter Darius Perkins handed out six assists and made two of his three shots beyond the arc.

During conference play, USU is scoring only 62.7 ppg, but the good news is that the defense has been hammering opponents and holding them to just 59.1 ppg. Moore is one of three players averaging in double figures with his 15.7 ppg, pulling down 6.4 rpg at the same time. But what makes Moore such a tough defensive matchup is that, while he can go to the rim and clear out space in the paint, he has also hit a sensational 51.1 percent of his 3-point tries in this 12 outings. Smith (12.3 ppg) has connected on 50.0 percent of his triples, pushing the team to 43.5 percent on the outside.

It was more of the same for the Spartans when they took on Wyoming last Saturday, even though the Cowboys were without leading scorer and rebounder Larry Nance Jr. due to illness, as the visitors suffered another double-digit setback. Rashad Muhammad managed to dial up 23 points and a game-high 10 rebounds, but he shot only 6-of-19 from the floor. Jaleel Williams pitched in with 14 points and five boards for a group that was only 32.7 percent accurate from the floor.

The numbers for the Spartans during conference play are hard to fathom, the team shooting a dismal 32.0 percent from the field and a miserable 26,3 percent out on the perimeter. Opponents have 100 more defensive rebounds than SJSU and are averaging 7.7 rpg more overall, which plays a part in the Spartans generating only 50.0 ppg and being outscored by a mind-blowing 21.4 ppg. Muhammad accounts for 14.4 ppg and Williams another 10.5 ppg, but clearly those efforts have done very little in the long run.

It will be more of the same for the Spartans this week, even though they are back home. The problem there is that USU is well-rested and has already proven that it can take care of SJSU without much effort.