Adrian Oliver scored 35 points and San Jose State held off UC Riverside's second-half comeback attempt, 80-77 Sunday.
Justin Graham added 14 points for the Spartans (4-1), who led by 12 in the first half before the Highlanders (2-4) rallied to briefly take the lead in the second.
Phil Martin led UC Riverside with 27 points, while Kevin Bradshaw added a career-high 16.
Oliver, a senior and the No. 2 returning scorer in the nation, had at least 30 points for the 12th time in his career. He was 11 of 20 from the field and 11 of 11 from the free-throw line.
The Highlanders opened the second half with a 12-7 run to take a 44-43 lead with 16:37 to play, but a 3-point play by Joe Henson put the Spartans back on top 19 seconds later and UC Riverside never led again.
