They did it!

The proverbial monkey is off their collective backs. Pundits would have gleefully joined in derision had San Jose State University not won a league game this season but that won't happen now since the Spartans just downed Nevada 66-64 in Reno. That's five consecutive L's for the Coach David Carter's guys.

You may say it's just one win but even at 1-17 (and let's see how the remainder of the contests play out) such will prevent the launching of any number of posts of ridicule. Hell, that derision might just now be directed at the Wolf Pack after tonight.

On dribble-drive penetration with just seconds remaining, Jalen James had his shot blocked by AJ West but the ball came back to James who then shot again and scored what proved to be the winning bucket.

Fellow frosh Isaac Thornton again padded the stat sheet again with a team-leading 15 points, a tops-on-the-team six rebounds plus two assists. Yes, he was called for a foul near the end when Nevada's Cole Huff dribbled into the key although it sure looked like a clean steal of the ball.

This is a Spartan squad that won't quit or back down despite physical, talent and experience limitations. That's a major plus and a credit to the coaching staff and players. But it's worth mentioning that prior to James' re-launch in the paint, the last six shot attempts, minus a tip-in from Jaleel Williams, were all from three-point range. Granted, some were open looks but that's not an offensive diet that aids in the maintenance of a lead -- something SJSU had for the majority of the game.

SJSU led 33-26 at the half.

By the way, said monkey is now on Coach David Carter's back. His team appeared uninspired, had no inside game to speak of and his best talent is soon heading to the NBA. He's a good guy in the profession but but his recruiting classes have been lacking plus the Wolf Pack's new AD isn't the one who hired Carter so there may be trouble on campus in The Biggest Little City in the World.

Here's a game report from Dan Hinxman.

Chris Murray did write this prior to the game: "For the past four years, the Wolf Pack has peaked in the middle of conference play and struggled down the stretch. During those seasons, the Wolf Pack is 21-11 in the first half of league play and 10-17 in the second half of league play. That’s a troubling trend."

A Murray post-game tweet: "Coach Carter hints that he might not travel all of his players to Air Force. He wants guys there who are going to contribute to the team."