SAN FRANCISCO – Tim Pratt (Eureka, Calif., Eureka HS , College of the Redwoods) scored a game-high 20 points, while Marquel Hoskins (Beloit, Wis., Reedley College) notched a double-double on 14 points and a season-best 15 rebounds to lead the San Francisco State men's basketball team to a 68-66 victory over Cal State Monterey Bay in a California Collegiate Athletic Association contest Wednesday night in the Main Gymnasium.
Phoenix O'Rourke (San Mateo, Calif., Junipero Serra HS) and Derek Fletcher (San Jose, Calif., Branham HS) also surpassed the double-digit plateau in scoring with 11 points apiece, as the Gators snapped a four-game losing streak, moving to 14-10 on the season and 7-9 in conference play. Meanwhile, the Otters slip to 7-14 overall and 5-11 in the CCAA.
“The second half was a good step back for us,” said SF State Bill Treseler. “We had problems closing it out and we need to handle that situation better. Tim and Derek were rock-solid inside; Marquel was big on the glass, while Daniel Trammel (Oceanside, Calif., El Camino HS) made a solid contribution as well.”
After witnessing eight ties and six lead changes through the 12:25 mark of the second half, SF State went ahead to stay, 45-44, on a layup by Nefi Perdomo (Oakland, Calif., Skyline HS) with 11:41 to go in the game. The Gators stretched the margin to nine points on two occasions, including a 64-55 bulge on a Hoskins free throw with 49 seconds left on the clock.
CSUMB made things interesting in a flash, however, draining four straight foul shots, while Jeremiah Campbell added a 3-point basket to chop the Gator advantage down to two at 66-64 with 20 seconds to go. Stung, SF State was still able to maintain the upper hand for the remainder of the contest as two O'Rourke free throws sandwiched around a layup by Shaun Williams accounted for the final 68-66 score.
Pratt went 6-for-7 from the field and 7-of-9 from the free-throw line, while Hoskins also dished out a game-high five assists. In addition, O'Rourke drained a pair of 3-point baskets to tie Alex Thomas for ninth place on the Gators' single-season list with 49 triples this year, while Fletcher blocked a game-high five shots, giving him 27 for the year, which is now the seventh-highest season total in school history.
Despite the 35-5 disparity in bench scoring favoring the Otters, SF State was plus-7 in free throws made (25-18) and maintained a 44-37 advantage in rebounds, including a 30-23 edge on the defensive glass. The Gators also fared better in field-goal percentage, hitting 20-of-47 shots from the floor (42.6 percent), compared to CSUMB's 22-for-61 pace (36.1 percent).
Neither team enjoyed more than a four-point advantage in a closely contested first half. After a tip-in by Nick Scheible at the 5:09 mark gave the Otters a 24-20 lead, SF State countered with a 12-6 run, capped by a Fletcher free throw to go back in front 31-29 with 1:15 to go before the halftime. Moments later, Sean Jergo hit two foul shots with 42 ticks on the clocks to knot the score at 31-31 heading into the locker room.
Jergo and Brandon Ward each finished with 13 points, while Jamelle Tolliver added 10 for CSUMB in the loss.
The Gators resume their five-game homestand on Friday with a CCAA tilt against Cal State L.A. in the Main Gym. Tip-off is slated for 7:30 p.m.
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