SAN FRANCISCO – Buoyed by Dwayne Fells' three-point play with 1:33 left, Cal Poly Pomona edged host San Francisco State, 64-60, in a California Collegiate Athletic Association men's basketball game Friday night at the Main Gymnasium.
With the loss, the Gators dip to 12-6 on the season and 5-5 in conference action, while the Broncos move to 8-5 overall and 6-4 in the CCAA.
“I'm proud of our guys,” said SF State head coach Bill Treseler. “This is a tough league and we need to finish these games, but I guarantee we'll be in this until the end.”
Three players reached double figures for the Gators, led by Marquel Hoskins (Beloit, Wis., Beloit Memorial HS, Reedley College), who tied for game-high honors with 15 points, while Tim Pratt (Eureka, Calif., Eureka HS, College of the Redwoods) tied his season best with 14. In addition, Phoenix O'Rourke (San Mateo, Calif., Junipero Serra HS) chipped in 11 points of his own, including a 3-for-8 performance from beyond the 3-point arc. O'Rourke now has 88 career triples, which ranks sixth in school history.
On the defensive side of the ball, Derek Fletcher (San Jose, Calif., Branham HS) posted a game-high five blocks, which vaulted him into second place on SF State's all-time list with 62 for his career.
For the visitors, Fells and Austin Swift matched Hoskins' production with 15 points each, while Kevin Ryan added 10 in a winning effort.
In the team statistics, both sides connected on 21 field goals apiece; however, CPP made nine more trips to the charity stripe than the Gators, sinking 18 of 26 foul shots, compared to SF State's 10-for-17 clip.
The Broncos grabbed a 17-8 advantage in the first half as a layup by Donnelle Booker with 11:48 left capped a 9-0 surge. The Gators would not go away quietly, however, fashioning a 10-3 run of their own to pull within 20-18 after Daniel Trammell's 3-pointer at the 8:17 mark.
CPP promptly reeled off the next five points before SF State rallied once again with a 9-2 spurt, featuring consecutive layups by Nefi Perdomo (Oakland, Calif., Skyline HS), Aaron Trigg (Suisun City, Calif., Armijo HS, Napa Valley College) and Hoskins, which tied the game at 27-27. However, the Gators were kept off the scoreboard for the final 2:54 of the half as the Broncos closed with a 6-0 rush, including a pair of free throws by Matthew Rosser with 11 seconds left, which put the visitors up 33-27 heading into the locker room.
SF State was in pursuit mode for the first 10 minutes of the second half until back-to back treys by O'Rourke gave the host school a slim 42-41 edge with 9:33 remaining. The lead proved to be short-lived, however, as CPP answered with five straight points on a jumper by Dahir Nasser and a Swift 3-pointer to go back in front 46-42 with 8:11 left.
A Hoskins free throw got the Gators back to even at 49-49 with 6:13 on the clock, but the Broncos eventually pulled ahead by five, 57-52, after two Nasser foul shots with 3:41 left. SF State then received a boost of instant offense from Pratt, who scored five straight points on two free throws and triple, while Hoskins added another foul shot, giving the Gators their last lead of the night, 58-57, at the 1:37 mark.
CPP quickly regained the momentum, however, as Fells' completed a 3-point play, while Swift added two free throws after an SF State miss to give the Broncos a 62-58 cushion with 31 seconds to play. Perdomo's layup cut the margin to 62-60 with 11 seconds left on the clock, but after an exchange of turnovers, Swift hit two free throws to seal the victory for the Broncos.
The Gators close out their weekend homestand on Saturday when they battle Cal State San Bernardino beginning at 7:30 p.m.
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