SAN FRANCISCO – Dwayne Fells nailed a jumper with 24 seconds left in overtime and Tobias Jahn sank a free throw after a recording a critical steal, as the visiting Cal Poly Pomona men's basketball team edged San Francisco State, 69-66, in the first round of the 2011 California Collegiate Athletic Association playoffs Tuesday night inside the Main Gymnasium.

 

The fourth-seeded Gators (16-11) rallied from a 14-point deficit in the second half to force the extra session, riding the hot shooting of Winston Demmin, who tallied 19 of his season-high 23 points after the halftime break. However, the No. 5 seed Broncos (17-10) proved too much to overcome after having five players surpass the double-digit scoring plateau.

 

“There's no easy way to deal with this loss,” said SF State head coach Paul Trevor. “However, we have great character and great men on this team, and we must build on what our six seniors accomplished this season.”

 

In addition to Demmin, who shot 7-for-10 from the field and went 8-for-8 at the free-throw line, the Gators also received nine points apiece from Marquel Hoskins and Phoenix O'Rourke, while Tyler Brown finished with eight. Hoskins also posted game highs of eight assists and six steals, while O'Rourke matched a collegiate best with five thefts of his own.  

 

Conversely, CPP displayed the balanced offense of Matt Rosser (14 points), Kevin Menner (12), Mitchel Anderson (12), Fells (11) and Donnelle Booker (11). In addition, Jahn scored nine points to go along with five assists and a game-high 10 rebounds.

 

The two teams, which combined for eight ties and nine lead changes, were also fairly even on the stat sheet, draining 22 field goals apiece, while the Broncos maintained a slight 31-30 rebounding edge. Despite owning a 28-20 advantage in the paint and a 21-12 margin in points off turnovers, SF State was minus-4 in free throws made (22-18).

 

The Gators rolled to a quick 13-3 lead following a Matt Fochtman layup at the 14:34 mark. However, the Purple and Gold would sink just one field goal and two foul shots over the next 6:25, as CPP unleashed a 16-4 flurry to claim their first lead of the evening at 19-17. A 3-pointer by O'Rourke with 6:09 left on the clock ended the drought, but the visitors closed with a 15-9 surge to take a 33-29 lead into the locker room.

 

Following the break, the Broncos stretched the lead to 45-33 on a Booker foul shot at the 15:19 mark. SF State soon countered with two free throws by Demmin at the other end. However, the Gators found themselves mired in another offensive funk, failing to score on eight straight possessions, while CPP hit just two baskets of their own during a span of 5:17.

 

After a Fells layup gave the Broncos their biggest cushion of the night at 49-35 at the 11-minute mark, O'Rourke nailed a jumper with 9:38 left in regulation to spark a 22-7 Gator blitz over the ensuing 7:21 that gave the host school its first lead of the second half at 57-56. Moments later, Booker sank one of two free throws with 38 seconds left on the clock to cap a 5-2 spurt, giving CPP a slim 61-59 edge.  

 

The Broncos regained possession following Booker's second attempt from the charity stripe and appeared to be in the driver's seat. However, O'Rourke came up with a clutch steal and dished the ball to Demmin, who was promptly fouled. The Gator junior sank both free throws with 32 seconds remaining, setting the stage for a nail-biting finish in regulation. Booker had two chances from beyond the 3-point arc in the final 11 seconds, but both attempts went awry, as the contest moved to overtime.

 

After the two sides exchanged triples to start the extra session, Anderson and Rosser each hit one of two foul shots, putting CPP up 66-64 with 1:19 to go. On SF State's next foray up the court, Demmin converted a layup off a feed from Joshua Hash with 53 seconds to go, before Fells found daylight near the top of the key and sank the go-ahead basket. The Gators were pressured in the right corner on their next possession and subsequently  turned the ball over to Jahn, who was immediately fouled with 2.4 seconds remaining. After CPP hit one of two free throws, SF State called timeout to set up one last shot, but a desperation 3-pointer was off the mark.

The Broncos will now square off against Cal State Dominguez Hills in the CCAA semifinals this Friday inside Pioneer Gym on the Cal State East Bay campus.  Meanwhile, the Gators will await their postseason fate when bids to the NCAA Division II Tournament are announced Sunday night.