SAN FRANCSICO – The SF State men's basketball team played lock down defense for almost three quarters of Friday night's California Collegiate Athletic Association opener. The Gators stingy defense and 31 points from the bench propelled the Gators to a 67-58 win over Humboldt State on Friday night at the SF State Gymnasium at the Don Nasser Family Plaza.
With 9:42 remaining in the first half the Lumberjacks (3-3/0-3 CCAA) led by four, 19-15. After the media timeout the Gators defense turned it on, holding the Jacks to just 11 more points in the half. During that time the Gators offense came to life with the help of center
AJ Kahlon. Kahlon scored a career-high 13 points, 11 of that coming in the first half. The Gators center finished the night going 5-for-7 from the floor and 3-for-5 from the line, eh also recorded four assists and four blocked shots.
Ten Gator turnovers led to six points for HSU in the opening period, but aside from that nothing came easy for Humboldt State. The Gators limited the Jacks to 31.3 percent shooting going 10-for-32, from behind the arc Humboldt State was a pedestrian 4-for-14 in the first half. For the game the Jacks shot 30.8 percent from the floor going 20-for-65 and were just 7-for-34 from deep.
Out of the intermission it was the
Nick Calcaterra show. The Gators sophomore guard hit 11 of his career-high 15 points after the break. Calcaterra finished the night shooting 5-for7 from the field and was a perfect 3-for-3 from three point land. Helping him get his open looks was the excellent ball movement that the offense displayed in the second half.
With 17:13 on the clock, Kahlon found Calcaterra wide open at the top of the key and he buried the three to give the Gators the lead for good, going up 33-31. It was the first of a series of three point baskets that helped give the Gators a 16 point lead with 4:32 in the game.
Humboldt State did not go down quietly however, led by three players in double figures, the Lumberjacks cut into the Gators lead scoring 14 points in the paint after the break and 15 points off Gator turnovers.
SF State hit four free throws with less than a minute remaining to put the game on ice. Also joining Calcaterra and Kahlon in double figures was
Floyd Wormley who scored 11 points on the evening, seven coming in the first half. Wormley also grabbed six boards.
Bren Haley finished with nine points, while
Andre Jones and
Derrick Brown both scored six.
The Gators will return to action tomorrow night when they host Cal State San Bernardino. Tip-off is slated for a 7:30 p.m. start.
Complete Box Score (HTML):Post Game Video: --
Gator Athletics has a proud tradition of competitive success within the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). The department offers 11 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.
