LA JOLLA, Calif. – Despite having four players surpass the double-digit plateau in points, the San Francisco State men's basketball team suffered a tough 91-86 defeat in double overtime at the hands of UC San Diego on Saturday at RIMAC Arena. With the loss, the Gators slip to 12-5 on the season and 5-4 in the California Collegiate Athletic Association, while the Tritons move to 4-8 overall and 3-6 in league play.
“We played a strong 40 minutes, but unfortunately this game went 50,” said SF State head coach Bill Treseler. “We did not come out with the same edge we needed to in the first ten minutes of the game. UCSD played great and hit some clutch shots.”
The Gators rallied from a trio of nine-point deficits in the second half, forcing overtime when Nefi Perdomo (Oakland, Calif., Skyline HS) hit a jumper with four seconds left in regulation to tie the game at 65-65.
In the first extra period, SF State went up by six, 76-70, on a Perdomo 3-pointer at the 1:03 mark. However on the Tritons' ensuing possession, Jordan Lawley answered with a triple of his own to cut the lead in half at 76-73 with 51 seconds to go. After a Gator miss and subsequent UCSD timeout, Casey Ryan drilled a 3-pointer with two ticks on the clock, which knotted the score once again at 76-76.
In the second overtime session, the Tritons went ahead to stay when Lawley sank a free shot and drilled a 3-pointer to put the hosts up 80-76 at the 3:33 mark. Shortly thereafter, a Perdomo foul shot pulled the Gators to within one at 83-82 with 1:22 to go. However, SF State could draw no closer as UCSD hit eight free throws down the stretch to escape with the win.
Marquel Hoskins (Beloit, Wis., Beloit Memorial HS, Reedley College) led the Gators with 19 points and five assists, while Phoenix O'Rourke (San Mateo, Calif., Junipero Serra HS) dropped in a career best of 17 on the strength of a collegiate-high tying five 3-pointers. With his performance, O'Rourke climbed into a tie for seventh place on the school's all-time list with 85 treys, with DeKeithi Walton.
In addition, Perdomo matched O'Rourke's total with 17 points of his own, while Tim Pratt (Eureka, Calif., Eureka , College of the Redwoods) chipped in a season-best 14. On the glass, Aaron Trigg (Suisun City, Calif., Armijo HS , Napa Valley College) pulled down a season-high nine rebounds, while Ralph Nevarez (West Covina, Calif., West Covina HS, East Los Angeles College) came away with seven caroms.
The Tritons were paced by Lawley, who poured in a game-high 31 points, including a 13-for-15 clip from the charity stripe.
The team statistics were evenly matched for the most part as both sides connected on ten 3-pointers apiece. However, UCSD went 25-for-31 from the free-throw line, while SF State hit 14 of its 23 foul shots. The Tritons also maintained a slim advantage in field-goal percentage (47.5-44.9).
UCSD threatened to take control of the contest in the first half as a 16-5 run broke an early 6-6 tie, giving the home team a 22-11 advantage with 10:17 left. SF State hung tough, however, limiting the Tritons to just one field goal and two free throws for the remainder of the period. Meanwhile, consecutive layups by Joshua Hash (Eureka, Calif., Eureka, College of the Redwoods) and Hoskins drew the Gators to within three at 26-23 heading into intermission.
After the break, SF State narrowed the gap to 32-30 on a Pratt layup at the 17:22 mark; however, UCSD responded with a 17-10 flurry to go up 49-40 with 11:28 left in regulation. The Gators flashed their mettle at this juncture, unleashing a 13-0 blitz as an old-fashioned 3-point play at the 8:36 mark gave the visitors their first lead of the night at 52-49.
The Tritons would gradually regain the upper-hand, though, as a pair of Lawley free throws put UCSD up 64-60 with 2:41 to go in the period. SF State remained in contention as O'Rourke hit a 3-pointer with 51 seconds left, while Lawley made one of two foul shots to make the score 65-63, setting the stage for Perdomo's game-tying basket.
The Gators return home next weekend when they play host to Cal Poly Pomona (Jan. 22) and Cal State San Bernardino (Jan. 23) on consecutive nights in the Main Gymnasium. Opening tip for both games is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.
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