SAN FRANCISCO – The SF State Gators opened up the New Year with a 70-57 victory over the visiting Cal State East Bay Pioneers this evening at the Main Gym at the Don Nasser Family Plaza. With the win, the Gators improve to 5-4 overall and 3-2 in the CCAA.
"I am very pleased with the performance of our team this evening," said SF State head coach
Paul Trevor. "We executed the ball well offensively and shared the ball as we had 18 assists."
Udun Osakue led the way for the Gators with 19 points. He was 7-for-10 from the field while also grabbing five rebounds and dishing out four assists.
Derrick Brown and
Andre Jones each added 10 points. Senior guard
Bren Haley added 7 points, 6 assists and two steals.
SF State also controlled the glass with 35 rebounds compared to the Pioneers 26. The Gators also forced 16 turnovers by their opponents while recording 12 steals.
Nick Grieves paced Cal State East Bay (3-8, 1-4 CCAA) with 15 points. The Gators held their guests to just 40% shooting from the field including 33% from three-point land.
The first half went back and forth until the Gators built a 31-23 lead with just less than two minutes left in the half on an
AJ Kahlon jumper.
Nick Grieves' three cut the hosts' lead to 31-26 heading into the locker room.
Cal State East Bay cut the Gator lead to 37-34 on another three by Grieves in the first four minutes of the second stanza, but SF State went on a 9-0 run in the next three minutes to take a 46-34 lead.
The hosts increased their lead to 70-55 late in the game as they held on for a 70-57 victory.
SF State is now in a four-way tie for fifth place with Cal State Monterey Bay, Cal Poly Pomona and Cal State San Bernardino and one game out of first place.
The Gators will return home tomorrow evening at 7:30pm PST, when they host Cal State Monterey Bay right back at the Main Gym at the Don Nasser Family Plaza. The Otters defeated Sonoma State 91-82 this evening in Rohnert Park.
Box Score ---
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.
