SAN FRANCISCO – The San Francisco State men's basketball team connected on just 19 for 61 field-goal attempts (31.1 percent) in a 68-57 loss to Cal State Stanislaus Thursday at the Main Gymnasium.
The Gators (15-10, 13-8 California Collegiate Athletic Association) took a 44-40 lead at the 12:18 mark of the second half, but hit only three shots from the floor for the remainder of the game as the Warriors (11-14, 9-12 CCAA) closed with a 28-13 flurry to win going away.
“Tonight, we didn't share the ball and our defense broke down,” said SF State head coach Paul Trevor. “That's what happens when you can't score.”
The Gators received a game-high 17 points from Marquel Hoskins, who finished with a 6-for-13 effort from the field, including a trio of 3-pointers, while Winston Demmin added 11, including a 7-for-9 performance from the charity stripe, to go along with six rebounds, a figure equaled by Nefi Perdomo.
Conversely, CSUS was paced Reggie Jones, who matched Hoskins' output with 17 points of his own, followed by Evan Scott (11 pts.) and Brett Sayad (10 pts., 7 rebounds).
The Warriors did not exactly scorch the nets themselves, posting a 43.8 percent field-goal percentage on the night (21-48); however, the visitors were a plus-8 at the free-throw line (22-14) and came up with seven blocks, including three by Jones.
SF State found itself in a 20-8 hole after a layup by CSUS' Mactar Gueye at the 10:27 mark of the first half. However, the Gators gradually fought themselves off the ropes as a tip-in by Daniel Trammel with 2:34 remaining capped a 16-5 run over a span of 7:52, which narrowed the gap to 25-24.
The Warriors quickly countered with a Dan Daviess runner and a Prince Abidoye triple to reclaim a six-point cushion, until a layup by SF State's Matt Fochtman with 55 seconds left provided the game its 30-26 score at intermission.
The Gators kept the momentum early into the second half, scoring the first six points to take its first lead of the game at 32-30 with just 2:15 elapsed.
After a Sayad free throw put CSUS back in front 40-39, SF State reeled off five straight points on two Demmin foul shots and a Hoskins 3-pointer to forge its biggest advantage of the night, 44-40, with 12:18 remaining.
However, the Warriors answered with an 11-0 run over the ensuing 5:25 to take control of the game. Jones punctuated the outburst with two free throws at the 6:53 mark to give CSUS a 51-44 cushion.
After two additional Demmin foul shots, the Warriors tallied seven straight points during a span of two-plus minutes to go up 58-46 with 4:49 to go, and the Gators never threatened again.
SF State, which has cemented a fourth-place finish in the CCAA, will wrap up its regular-season schedule on Friday when Chico State invades the Main Gym for a 7:30 p.m. tip-off. The Wildcats (13-11, 9-11 CCAA) eked out a 68-66 win at Cal State Monterey Bay on Thursday.
“Those guys have been great seniors and have really put their heart and soul into this program,” coach Trevor concluded. “Tomorrow night should be very emotional.”
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