HAYWARD – SF State's second half rally fell short this evening as the Gators lost 61-53 to the Cal State East Bay Pioneers in a CCAA match-up in Hayward. Senior
Udun Osakue was one of three Gators to score in double digits as he had 14 points.
Andre Jones chipped in 11 points and
Bren Haley added 10 points for the visitors.
"Cal State East Bay shot the ball well this evening," said SF State head coach
Paul Trevor. "Our pressure got us back in the game in the second half, but we just didn't make the plays down the stretch.'
The Pioneers (5-17, 3-13 CCAA) were led by Nick Grieves' game high 17 points. Jacari Whitfield chipped in 14 points while Marcus Norman had 13 points for the hosts, who connected on 13 of their 34 attempts from beyond the arc.
Norman's three gave the hosts a 12-7 lead in the first eight minutes of the game. Cal State East Bay increased its lead to 15-7 on a three by Whitfield, but the Gators went on a 5-0 run to cut the deficit to 15-12 on a jumper by
Derrick Brown.
Grieves' three capped a 12-4 run by the Pioneers to give them a 27-16 with just under two minutes left in the half.
An old-fashioned three-point play by
Andre Jones cut the deficit to 27-19 heading into the locker room.
SF State (8-12, 6-10 CCAA) continued its run as the Gators cut the Pioneer lead to 30-28 on back to back three's by
Bren Haley in the first four minutes of the new stanza.
Cal State East Bay built its lead to 38-31 in the next four minutes on a three by Whitfield.
A three by Jones cut the Gator deficit to 38-34 on SF State's next possession, but the Pioneers went on a 7-0 run to increase their lead to double digits (45-34).
The Gators would not go away as they kept battling and a three-point play by
Udun Osakue made it just a five-point game (53-48) with 4:13 on the clock.
Cal State East Bay scored the next four points to take a 57-48 lead, but Haley's three capped a 5-0 run by SF State to once again cut their deficit to 57-53 but with only 18 ticks left in the game.
The Pioneers finished the game going 4-for-4 from the line to take the 61-53 victory.
The Gators held their hosts to just 37.5% shooting from the field including 38% from three-point land in the loss.
They are now in a three-way tie for eighth place with Cal State Monterey Bay and Cal State L.A. with just three weeks left in the season. The top six teams at the end of the regular season will make the CCAA Basketball Championship in Stockton, Calif. The Gators are three games out of that sixth spot, which is currently held by Humboldt State.
SF State will return home next week as the Gators as they finish the regular season playing of their last six games at home. The Gators will host 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. Anyone coming to the game is encouraged to bring a canned food good. 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. Any SF State student that brings a canned food good will receive another entry into the half-court shot contest. 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.
