SAN FRANCISCO – The San Francisco State men's basketball team had five players score in double figures on Saturday to help defeat the Academy of Art University, 80-71, in the 2008 SF State Invitational at the Main Gymnasium. The Gators completed the round-robin tournament at 1-1 to move to 8-1 overall, matching the 1952-53 squad for the best nine-game start in school history. Meanwhile, the Urban Knights remain winless at 0-8.

 

SF State featured a balanced attack led by sophomore Robert Hayes (San Diego, California, St. Augustine), who posted a game-high 18 points, while tying career bests of six assists and five steals. Seniors Alex Thomas (Vallejo, California, Hogan, Dominican University) and Darryl Robinson (San Mateo, California, San Mateo, Canada College) also got in on the act, tossing in 15 and 14 points, respectively.  Robinson's total tied a season high, while sophomore Phoenix O'Rourke (San Mateo, California, Junipero Serra) contributed a season-best 10 points of his own. Not to be outdone, senior Brad Visman (Placerville, California, El Dorado, UC Riverside) recorded his second career double-double with 11 points, while pulling down a season-best 13 rebounds.

 

“I liked our intensity at the start of the game,” said Gator head coach Bill Treseler. “Then we were able to put a nice run together to get some distance in the second half. Brad (Visman) and Robert (Hayes) played well and Darryl Robinson gave us a big lift late. The Academy of Art has really progressed and I think there are good things ahead for them.”

 

SF State never trailed in the ballgame, cruising to a 14-4 lead after a Thomas 3-pointer with just 4:37 elapsed on the clock. The Knights were unable to pull any closer than six points for the remainder of the half as the Gators took a 43-34 advantage into the locker room. SF State shot a blistering 61.5 percent on 16-of-26 field-goal attempts during the period, compared to just 42.9 percent for the visitors.

 

AAU opened the second half with a 9-4 run to trim the lead to 47-43 after a jumper by Phillip Samuels at the 16:18 mark. However, the Gators responded with an 8-0 blitz of their own, capped by a Hayes layup, which gave the home team a 12-point cushion at 55-43 with 13:39 remaining.

 

SF State stretched the margin to 17 points following a pair of Robinson free throws with just 2:06 left on the clock, effectively putting the game out of reach. The Knights crawled back to within seven at 76-69 on a Samuels layup with 32 ticks on the clock, but the rally proved to be too little too late.

As a team, the Gators controlled the middle, outscoring AAU, 32-17, on points in the paint, while holding a 15-8 advantage on the offensive glass.

 

SF State will have three weeks off before returning to action on Friday, Jan. 2, when it  travels to Arcata, Calif., to face Humboldt State in a California Collegiate Athletic Association contest. Tip-off is set for 7:30 p.m.