RIVERSIDE –An old-fashion three-point play by SF State Gators'
Bren Haley cut the Cal Baptist lead to just 30-25 in the first five minutes of the second half, but the No. 24 Lancers outscored their visitors 19-10 in the next five minutes and never looked back as they defeated the Gators 63-41.
"We played very hard defensively tonight and we were right there with the Lancers tonight," said SF State head coach
Paul Trevor. "Late three's by them broke the game open, but an experienced team will make those runs to end the game."
The Gators (0-1) held their hosts to the fewest points of the season as the Lancers were averaging 86 points per game coming into tonight's game at Cal Baptist's Van Dyne Gym.
Derrick Brown paced SF State with 14 points while
Andre Jones added 9 points for the visitors.
Cal Baptist (4-0) shot 46.8% from the field including connecting on 10 of its 25 attempts from three-point land. The Lancers were 9-for-11 from the charity stripe with each team grabbing 30 rebounds.
Ryan Berg had 16 points to lead the Lancers as he connected on 4 of his 6 attempts from beyond the arc.
The Lancers built a 22-5 lead in the first ten minutes of the game, but SF State chipped away and cut that lead to 24-14 on two free throws by
AJ Kahlon with a little under two minutes left in the first stanza.
Michael Smith connected on two free throws for the Lancers to increase their lead to 26-14, but
Andre Jones hit one of two of his attempts from the line to cut the hosts' lead to 26-15 heading the half.
Bren Haley's three-point play capped a 10-4 opening run by the Gators in the second half to cut the Lancer lead to just 30-25.
An old-fashion three-point play by the Lancers' Eividas Petrulis increased their lead back to double digits (35-25) with 13:34 to go.
A three by the Gators'
Derrick Brown off an assist from Haley, cut the Lancer lead back to single digits (35-28) but the visitors could not get any closer as once against Cal Baptist built its lead back to double digits on two free throws by Ryan Berg with a little under ten minutes left in the half.
The Gators kept battling though as Jones hit a three with 8:03 on the clock to make it Cal Baptist 43-34, but the Lancers went on a 6-1 run in the next two minutes to take a 49-35 lead.
They increased their lead to 63-41, the largest of the game on a three by Chris Brown which ended up being the final score of this evening's game.
"We need to work on scoring the ball," added Trevor.
The Gators were held to just 31.6% shooting including just connecting on 25% of their attempts from three-point land.
SF State will return to the court this Tuesday, November 25 at 7pm, when the Gators host Academy of Art in their home opener of the 2014-15 season at SF State's Main Gymnasium at the Don Nasser Family Plaza.
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Gator Athletics has a proud tradition of competitive success within the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). The department offers 12 intercollegiate sports programs: Baseball, Men's and Women's Basketball, Men's and Women's Cross Country, Men's and Women's Soccer, Softball, Women's Track & Field, Women's Volleyball and Men's Wrestling.
Gator Athletics places great emphasis on academic performance as well as athletic achievement. The program offers student athletes the opportunity to reach their educational goals, as well pursue meaningful athletic accomplishments. For more information, visit SF State Athletics' website, Twitter and Facebook pages.
