SAN FRANCISCO - Fresh off a disappointing loss to Sonoma State the previous night, the San Francisco State men's basketball team demonstrated its resolve on Saturday with a gritty 71-63 win over Humboldt State in a California Collegiate Athletic Association clash at the Main Gymnasium.
Alex Thomas (Vallejo, California, Hogan, Dominican University) poured in a season-high 25 points, as the Gators (12-9, 6-8 CCAA) defeated the Lumberjacks (17-7, 10-4 CCAA) for the first time in 18 meetings to move into sole possession of seventh place in the conference standings.
“Obviously, Alex got us off to a great start,” said SF State head coach Bill Treseler. “But I thought our defense was outstanding throughout.
Brad Visman (Placerville, California, El Dorado, UC Riverside) was terrific and we got solid contributions from everybody. This conference is set for a wild finish and it's fun to be a part of it.”
Thomas' scoring effort was bolstered by a career high six 3-point field goals, while
Robert Hayes (San Diego, California, St. Augustine) chipped in 20 points of his own. On the glass,
Martin Flores (Woodland, California, Woodland, Solano Junior College) pulled down a team-best nine rebounds, while
Will Logan (Apple Valley, California, Apple Valley) and
Darryl Robinson (San Mateo, California, San Mateo, Canada College) added five caroms apiece. The Gator defense also excelled, limiting the Jacks to just 34.5 percent field-goal shooting on 19 of 55 attempts, including a 2-for-15 (13.3 percent) pace from beyond the arc.
The Gators dominated the first half, racing to a 10-0 advantage following Thomas' second triple of the night at the 15:44 mark. SF State enjoyed a double-digit cushion throughout most of the period; however, HSU pulled to within 27-20 on a Jameson Figgatt layup with 3:23 remaining before the break. Following a Flores jumper, the Jacks hit two free throws with four seconds left to make the score 34-24 at halftime.
After the break, SF State put together a 12-4 run to take its largest lead of the evening at 46-28, capped by another Thomas trey and a Visman free throw at the 14:10 mark. However, HSU picked itself off the mat at this juncture, putting together a furious 27-14 rally over the next 10:43 to whittle the Gator advantage down to just five.
Figgatt's layup with 3:27 left brought the Jacks to within 60-55, but SF State kept its composure as Hayes converted two layups and a pair of free throws to give the home team a 66-57 edge with 53 seconds to go in the game. The Gators then kept the visitors at bay by sinking five foul shots down the stretch to secure their 100th victory in the all-time series between the two schools.
Owen Newman scored 16 points off the bench to lead the Jacks, while Figgatt contributed 15 points and a game-high 10 rebounds in the loss.
The Gators resume their five-game homestand next weekend when they battle Cal State L.A. on Friday, Feb. 13, in the Main Gymnasium. SF State will then lock horns with Cal State Dominguez Hills the following evening on Saturday. Feb. 14. Both games are set to begin at 7:30 p.m.
Box Score
