SEASIDE – The SF State Gators fell to the Cal State Monterey Bay Otters this evening in a CCAA contest at The Kelp Bed in Seaside, Calif.
Udun Osakue led the way for the visitors with 18 points and
Derrick Brown chipped in 13 points. Alex Fertig led the way for the Otters with 18 points.
The first half was a defensive struggle as the neither held over a four-point lead. The Otters took an early 9-5 lead in the first six minutes of the game, but SF State's
Justice Howard capped a 8-0 run by the Gators with a three to give them a 13-9 lead. Evan Zeller's three gave the hosts a 14-13 lead with 6:52 left in the half.
SF State (8-11, 6-9 CCAA) tied the game at 20-20 on a
Derrick Brown jumper with just 2:40 to go in the first stanza.
A three by Patrick Lefiti finished at the buzzer gave CSUMB a 26-22 lead heading into the locker room.
The Gators came out on fire in the second half as they cut the deficit to 31-30 on a lay-up by Osakue in the first three minutes.
A three by Evan Zeller capped a 10-3 run by the Otters as they increased their lead to 41-33 in the net four minutes.
SF State kept on battling though as the Gators cut the deficit to one possession, 44-41, as
Sam Colmenero's three capped an 8-0 run by the visitors.
The Otters did not cave in as they increased their lead to 60-46 with 6:23 on the clock on another trey by Zeller.
An old-fashioned three-point play by
Bren Haley cut the deficit to single digits, 60-51, with a little over five minutes to go in the game.
Cal State Monterey Bay (10-11, 6-9 CCAA) once again increased its lead to 14, 67-53, at the 2:09 mark of the game. The hosts finished the game, 5-for-6 from the charity stripe, as took the 72-57 victory.
Osakue finished the game going 7-for-14 from the field while grabbing four rebounds and dishing out two assists. SF State, who is now in a tie eighth place with Cal State Monterey Bay, out-rebounded its opponents 35-30.
Besides Fertig's 18 points, Zeller chipped in 16 and Marquise Washington added 10 points for the hosts.
The Gators will end their four-game road trip tomorrow evening in Hayward, Calif., for a 7:30pm scheduled tip-off with Cal State East Bay. SF State defeated the Pioneers 70-57 on January 2 in San Francisco. The Pioneers lost 78-55 to Sonoma State this evening in Hayward.
SF State will return home next week as the Gators begin four-game home stand. Their first game of the four-game stretch will be against UC San Diego this Friday, February 13 at 7:30pm. This game will be "Gold Rush" as all Gator fans are encouraged to wear gold and first 500 SF State students will receive T-shirts and pizza. It will also be broadcast live on Comcast Hometown Network Channel 104.
The Gator Student-Athlete Advisory Committee will also be holding a Canned Food Good Drive. At halftime, one lucky Gator student will receive a chance to win a prize if they sink a half-court shot at half-time of both the men and women's game. The women will host UC San Diego with a scheduled tip-off time of 5:35pm.
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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.
