SAN FRANCISCO – After a long preseason road schedule and opening up on the road the SF State men's basketball team made their 2014-15 home opener a memorable one. The Gators defense and gritty play carried SF State to a 68-59 victory over Academy of Art Tuesday night at the SF State Gymnasium at the Don Nasser Family Plaza.
With 1:12 left in the game the Urban Knights (2-3) capped off a late charge, finishing a 7-1 run on a fast break layup. Making sure the game did not go into overtime SF State (1-1) went on a 6-2 run to put the game on ice on a jumper by
Andre Jones with 22 seconds left.
However, the big emotional lift came 10 seconds earlier when freshman
Chiefy Ugbaja grabbed a missed Jones layup and emphatically threw it down for a monster one hand dunk all in one motion. With the wind effectively out of the Urban Knights sails the Gators held to earn their first win of the year.
The Gators were led by senior
Udun Osakue's team-high 18 points on 8-for-12 shooting. Osakue helped keep the Gators afloat in the opening half, scoring 13 of his points before the intermission all of which were big buckets for the Gators.
With 9:26 in the first half Academy of Art's Herman Pratt hit a three in the corner to take a 16-15 lead. Osakue answered a minute later with a three of his own to tie the game. A layup with 2:29 left in the half by Osakue gave the Gators a slim one point lead that they would never relinquish.
All evening long the Gators played physical, relentless, pressure defense. The Urban Knights turned the ball over 19 times on the evening, which led to 24 points for SF State. The Gators also outrebounded Academy of Art 26-23.
While the Gators defense stymied the Urban Knight offense, holding them to 10 baskets on 23 attempts in the second half. SF State shot an impressive 56.3 percent in the second period. For the game the Gators shot 51.2 percent going 21-fo4-41.
AJ Kahlon joined Osakue and Jones in double figures. Kahlon finished the night with 10 points going 4-for-6 from the floor and was a perfect 2-for-2 from the free throw line.
Bren Haley led the Gators with four assists while adding six points.
SF State has a few days off and returns to action on Friday, participating in the Carl's Jr Mac Martin Tournament hosted by Chico State. The Gators will play Azusa Pacific on Friday at 5:30 p
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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.
