Men's Basketball | 1/11/2016 2:07:00 PM
SAN FRANCISCO-- The SF State Gators will look to avenge two early season losses this weekend as they travel to No. 20 Chico State and Stanislaus State. The Gators will face the Wildcats this Friday, January 15
th in Chico and the Warriors this Saturday, January 16 in Turlock Game times for both evenings is set for 7:30pm PST.
The Gators split their two games at home this past weekend to go to 8-5 overall and 2-5 in the CCAA. SF State is now tied for 9
th place with Cal State East Bay, but with Cal State San Marcos not being eligible for the CCAA Basketball Championship the Gators will have the eighth spot as they have the tie breaker with the Pioneers.
The top eight teams at the end of the regular season will receive a bid to the CCAA Basketball Championships with the First Round games set for March 1 with the four games being at the site of the higher seeds. The semi-final and final games will be on March 4 and 5 at the Stockton Arena in Stockton, Calif.
SF State started the weekend with a 73-48 loss to then No. 17 UC San Diego this past Thursday evening at home.
Jon McMurry paced the Gators with 14 points while
Warren Jackson added 11 points. SF State was held to just 26.8% shooting from the field including just 23.8% from three-point land. Aleks Lipovic led the Tritons with 16 points and was one of four players to score in double figures for UC San Diego.
The Gators rebounded on Saturday evening with a 74-57 win over the visiting Cal State San Bernardino Coyotes. McMurry and Jackson paced SF State each with 15 points while
Damien Rance added 12 and
Brantley Bynum chipped in 10 points. The Gators forced 16 turnovers by the Coyotes and outscored their bench 39-11.
After their 1-1 weekend, the Gators are averaging 71.1 points per game while giving up 68 points per game. They are shooting 44.7% from the field including 34.5% from three-point land and 74.7% from the line. SF State's opponents are shooting 45% from the field, 39.7% from three-point land and 71.7% from the line.
SF State is forcing 15.2 turnovers per game while recording 8.2 steals and 2.9 blocked shots per game. They are also averaging 12.8 assists per game and are averaging 32.8 rebounds per game.
Coley Apsay leads the way with his 11.3 scoring average, 17 steals, 23 three-point field goals made and 95% shooting from the line. Jackson is second on the team with his 9.5 scoring average followed by
Floyd Wormley at 9.1 and McMurry and
Nick Calcaterra each at 7.2 points per game. Wormley leads the team with his 55.1% shooting from the field, 5.7 rebounds per game average, 41 assists and 13 blocked shots. McMurry has connected on a team high 42.1% of his attempts from beyond the arc.
In the recent NCAA Division II statistics report that was released this morning, Apsay has moved into second in the nation with his 95% shooting from the field. He also leads the conference and the region with his 38 made free throws out of 40 attempts. As a team, the Gators are 26
th in the nation in scoring defense.
Wormley is in the top ten in the CCAA in blocked shots and assists while the Gators as a team are in the top six in the conference in 9 categories. They are second in steals, third in turnover margin and free throw percentage, fifth in blocked shots, sixth in assist/turnover ratio and scoring defense, and 7
th in both scoring margin and field goal percentage.
SF State will face first No. 20 Chico State this Friday at Art Acker Gymnasium in Chico at 7:30pm PST. The Wildcats are 12-3 overall and 6-2 in the CCAA, which ties them for third place. They have won 8 of their last 10 games including going 1-1 this past weekend. Chico State defeated Humboldt State 88-68 on Thursday evening in Arcata, but lost to at then No. 7 Cal Poly Pomona 69-56 on Saturday evening in Pomona.
Chico State is averaging 74.3 points per game while giving up 64.8 points per game. The Wildcats are out-rebounding their opponents 36.9 to 29.8 rebounds per game while forcing 13.4 turnovers per game. They are shooting 48% from the field and 40.7% from three's while holding their opponents to just 41% shooting from the field and 36% from three-point land. Chico State is only shooting 68.3% from the charity stripe.
Four players are averaging double digits in scoring in Robert Duncan (15.9 ppg), Corey Silverstrom (12.6 ppg), Tanner Giddings (11.1 ppg) and Isaiah Ellis (10.5 ppg). Duncan leads the team with his 5.9 rebounding average, 57 assists and 28 steals. Giddings is shooting a team high 61.6% from the field while Ellis has a team high 17 blocked shots. Silverstrom has connected on a team high 47.7% shooting from three's and 31 three's with Jalen McFerren is shooting a team leading 86.3% from the line.
In their first match-up of the season on December 4 in San Francisco, the Wildcats defeated the Gators 74-67 as five players scored in double digits for Chico State led by Ellis' 14 points. Apsay led the Gators with 13 points. The Gators shot 48% from the field, but they shot 34.6% in the second half. Chico State shot 52% from the field. With their loss to the Wildcats, SF State now leads its series with Chico State 97-96.
The Gators will then travel down Route 99 on Saturday to Turlock for a 7:30pm scheduled game with Stanislaus State. The Warriors are 5-6 overall and 4-4 in the CCAA after losing three of their last four games including both games last year. Last Thursday, the Warriors lost 59-48 at then No. 7 Cal Poly Pomona and then lost 94-72 at Humboldt State on Saturday evening.
Stanislaus State is averaging 66.2 points per game while giving up 71.3 points per game, but are out-rebounding its opponents 35.5 to 33.6. Christian Bayne leads the way for the Warriors with his 14.7 scoring average, 22 steals, 49 assists, 45% shooting from three's 84.8% shooting from the line. Alek Carlson is second on the team with his 11.8 scoring average and has a team high 30 three's made. Richard Medina has blocked a team leading 17 shots and Vondell Faniel is shooting a team high 60% from the field.
The Warriors defeated SF State 68-52 on December 5 in San Francisco behind Carlson's game high 19 points. He was one of four players to score in double digits for the Warriors. They also held the Gators to just 38% shooting from the field. Wormley paced SF State with 10 points. With their win over the Gators in December, Stanislaus State closes the all-time series with the Gators holding a 45-41 advantage.
After this weekend, the Gators will be back home next weekend for a pair of games against Bay Area rivals Cal State East Bay and Cal State Monterey Bay. They will host the Pioneers on Friday, January 22 and the Otters on Saturday, January 23. SF State defeated Cal State East Bay 80-63 on January 1 in Hayward, but lost 65-64 to Cal State Monterey Bay in Seaside on January 2.
Weekly Game NotesLink to Live Stats at Chico StateLink to Radio and Video at Chico StateLink to Live Stats at StanislausLink to Video at Stanislaus StateLink to Radio at Stanislaus State-----
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.
