SAN FRANCISCO – A blocking call in just in front of the three point line with less than 10 seconds put visiting Sonoma State on the line shooting two.  The Seawolves hit both and the two point lead stood as senior guard Bren Haley was not able to get a shot off at the other end, as the Gators fell 56-54 on Friday night on a regionally televised game.

The Gators (4-3/2-1 CCAA) came out and played inspired basketball in the opening half.  As a team, SF State shot 51.9 percent from the floor going 14-for-27.  The Gators took a five point lead heading into the intermission with the help of open looks from behind the arch. 

Derrick Brown led the Gators with a season-high 19 points, going 7-for-12 from the field and 3-for-7 from deep.  Haley scored nine points along with four assists and three rebounds, all nine points coming in the first half as he came out of the gates on fire.

At the 16:59 mark in the second half, a jumper by Brown gave the Gators their largest lead, a nine point advantage up 40-31.   Sonoma State (5-1/3-0 CCAA) responded with an 8-0 run of their own that cut the Gators lead to one. 

For the remainder of the game the two sides kept jabbing at each other but never really pulled away.  Brown hit a three for the Gators in the corner to go up four with 12:22 to play.  Four minutes later the Seawolves tied the game up on a free throw by Jabri Jenkins. 

Leading Sonoma State on the evening was James Davis who scored a game-high 23 points, going 7-for-11 from the field and 4-for-5 from three point range.  With 4:39 in the second half a Jenkins hit a three giving the Seawolves their largest lead of the night. 

Brown quickly responded with a three of his own cutting the lead to two points for the Seawolves.  For the next two minutes neither team managed a very strong offensive series.  The Gators eventually tied the game up at 54-54 when Udun Osakue hit a pair of free throws with 2:03 to play. 

The tie at 54 stood till the final seconds of the game when Jenkins was fouled driving the lane with nine seconds remaning.  After hitting both free throws the Gators, who were out of timeouts, tried to run a play but ultimately could not get that final shot off giving Sonoma State the win.

The Gators and Seawolves will not have to wait long to rekindle this rivalry.  The Gators will travel Rohnert Park on December 21 when the Gators take on the Seawolves at 2:00 p.m. at the Wolves Den.

Complete Box Score (HTML)

Post Game Video:

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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.

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