SAN FRANCISCO – The San Francisco State men's basketball team returned to its winning ways on Saturday, cruising to a 67-46 victory over visiting Cal State Stanislaus in the Main Gymnasium. Three players scored in double figures for the Gators (6-2, 1-1 California Collegiate Athletic Association), led by junior Marquel Hoskins (Beloit, Wis., Beloit Memorial HS, Reedley College), who posted a game-highs of 14 points and five assists.
Junior Phoenix O'Rourke (San Mateo, Calif., Junipero Serra HS) also got into the act with 12 points on a season-high tying four 3-point baskets to move into 10th place on SF State's career list in that statistic, while fellow classmate Tim Pratt (Eureka, Calif., Eureka HS, College of the Redwoods) equaled a season best of 10 points to go along with four rebounds. O'Rourke also tied freshman Nefi Perdomo (Oakland, Calif., Skyline HS ) for team-high honors with five rebounds, while senior Derek Fletcher (San Jose, Calif., Branham HS) added nine points, four boards and a block on the evening. Fletcher now ranks third on the school's all-time charts with 52 blocks for his career.
”The difference tonight was that we finished with rebounds,” said Gator head coach Bill Treseler. “We did a good job on the defensive end, and we are getting good contributions from all 11 players. That really comes into play in these back-to-back games. Tim Pratt and Jeremy Francis (San Francisco, Calif. George Washington HS, Mayville State Univ.) really sparked us when we needed it, too.”
As a team, the Gators shot 47.2 percent from the field on 25 of 53 field goal attempts, while limiting the Warriors (4-2, 0-2 CCAA) to a 36.2 percent pace on 17 of 47 tries. In addition, SF State connected on a season-best 10 treys, while CSUS drained just three baskets from beyond the arc. The Gators also controlled the middle, finishing with a 22-12 advantage on points in the paint.
The contest began as a low-scoring affair, with the two teams battling to a 7-7 tie through the opening 8:28 of the first period. After a Warrior miss, Francis nailed a 3-pointer to put SF State ahead for good at 10-7 with 11:32 remaining. CSUS countered with a layup by Julian Williams, but could draw no closer for the rest of the game as the Gators began to assert control. Ultimately, a Hoskins triple with four seconds remaining in the half capped a 24-16 run to provide for the 34-25 score at intermission.
Following the break, SF State was never threatened as a Fletcher jumper at the 17:29 mark extended the margin to 40-29, giving the home team a double-digit lead for the remainder of the contest. After a free throw by the Warriors' Jordan Stokes, the Gators unleashed a 25-11 blitz over a 13-minute span, capped by a Pratt layup, to build its largest lead of the night at 65-40 with 4:20 remaining.
SF State returns to action next weekend when it welcomes two non-conference foes to the Main Gym. The Gators will entertain Simpson University on Friday, Dec. 11, beginning at 7 p.m., while Notre Dame de Namur pays a visit on Saturday, Dec. 12, starting at 7:30 p.m.
Box Score
