SAN FRANCISCO – Robert Hayes (San Diego, California, St. Augustine) scored in a game-high 24 points, but it wasn't enough as the San Francisco State men's basketball team fell to Sonoma State, 77-63, in California Collegiate Athletic Association action Friday night in the Main Gymnasium. With the loss, the Gators slip to 11-9 overall and 5-8 in league play, while the Seawolves move to 8-12 on the year and 4-9 in the CCAA.

 

SF State shot 38.2 percent from the field on 26-of-68 field goal attempts, including a 2-for-18 clip from beyond the 3-point arc. Conversely, SSU connected on 26 of its 53 field-goal tries (49.1 percent) and was 6-of-16 from 3-point land. The Seawolves also had 10 more chances from the free-throw line than the Gators, converting 17 of 27 foul shots compared to 9-of-17 for the home squad.

 

“Sonoma State beat us every which way,” said SF State head coach Bill Treseler. “We did not shoot well, but a lot of that had to do with their defense. Ryan Wessels (Napa, California, Vintage, Napa Valley College), Derek Fletcher (San Jose, California, Branham) and Daniel Trammel (Oceanside, California, El Camino) gave us a good spark off the bench. We will play much better tomorrow.”

 

The Gators held a slim 6-5 edge following an Alex Thomas (Vallejo, California, Hogan, Dominican University) layup with 15:11 left in the first half, but SSU responded with seven straight points to take a 12-6 lead it would not relinquish. SF State momentarily kept things close, pulling to within 16-15 on a basket by Fletcher at the 9:16 mark. However, the Seawolves gradually pulled away at this juncture, fashioning a 19-9 run to take a 35-24 advantage into intermission.

 

The Gators were unable to generate any momentum after the break, falling behind by as many as 22 points in the latter stages of the contest. 

 

Hayes' tip-in at the 11:26 mark brought SF State to within 47-36; however, SSU quickly responded with a 3-pointer on its next possession to retake a commanding 50-36 lead. From then on, the Gators would draw no closer than 13 points the rest of the way.

 

In addition to Hayes' total, Wessels contributed nine points, while Thomas came up with a game-best four steals.

 

The Seawolves were led by Casey McRoberts, who was 5-of-9 from beyond the arc en route to a team-high 19 points. Meanwhile, Keith Garner (14 points, 11 rebounds), Ben Washington (13 points) and Steven Pratt (11 points) also reached double figures in the victory.

 

SF State will back be in action on Saturday, Feb. 7, when it takes on Humboldt State in a CCAA clash starting at 7:30 p.m. 

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