Men's Basketball | 11/22/2016 3:27:00 PM

BELMONT--- The San Francisco State Gators will return to the court this Friday and Saturday, November 25 and 26 when they participate in the NDNU Thanksgiving Classic in Belmont, Calif.  The Gators will face two Bay Area rivals and PacWest Conference members, Holy Names and Notre Dame de Namur. 

San Francisco State is 4-0 after going 2-0 in the WOU/Doubletree by Hilton D2 Shootout this past weekend in Monmouth, Ore.  The Gators defeated the defending NCAA Division II West Region Champions, Western Oregon, 99-93 in triple overtime on Friday evening and Concordia-Portland 86-62 on Saturday. 

In their triple overtime victory over the Wolves on Friday, AJ Kahlon paced the Gators with his 28-point, 23-rebound evening.  Warren Jackson and Derrick Brown added 23 points and 14 points respectively off the bench.  The Gators held the Wolves to just 35% shooting from the including 27% from three-point land.  On Saturday night, three Gators scored in double digits to lead the way led by AJ Kahlon's third double-double with 13 points and 10 rebounds.  Warren Jackson chipped in 19 points and Coley Apsay added 18 points for the victors.  The Gators' defense held the Cavaliers to just 38% shooting from the field and 22% beyond the arc.

The Gators will first face Holy Names on Friday evening at 5pm in the opening game of the Classic. Holy Names is 0-3 heading into its Tuesday evening game at home versus Cal State East Bay. The Pioneers have lost 72-71 to Cal State Dominguez Hills, 88-80 to Montana State-Billings and 94-68 at Western Washington. They are averaging 74.0 points per game while giving up 84.7 points per game. Jason Webster is averaging 17.0 points and 5.3 rebounds per game to go with his 456% shooting from the field. Jewels Sanders is next on the team with his 16.0 points per game average. Last season, the Gators defeated the Hawks 84-73 at home as Coley Apsay had 13 points

San Francisco State will finish its weekend with a 7pm scheduled tip-off on Saturday at Notre Dame de Namur.  The Argonauts are 0-3 heading into its tournament opener against Stanislaus State on Friday. Notre Dame de Namur has lost 79-60 to Cal State East Bay, 64-42 to Sonoma State and 77-69 to Cal State Monterey Bay. They are averaging 57 points per game while giving up 73.3 points per game. Lance Page leads the way with his 10.3 scoring average followed by Michael Karimu and Korev Serna each at 9.3 ppg..

After this weekend, the Gators will return home for a pair of CCAA games on December 2 and 3.  San Francisco State will entertain Cal Poly Pomona on Friday, December 2 with a scheduled tip-off of 7:35pm.  This will be the Gators' Annual Purple Out Night as the first 500 SFSU students with a valid student ID will receive a free t-shirt.  The game will also be broadcasted live on Comcast Hometown Network Channel 104.  Joe Castellano and Dan Dibley will be calling the action and Kate Rooney will be the sideline reporter.
Then the next evening, Saturday, December 3, the Gators will host Cal State East Bay with a scheduled tip-off of 7:30pm at The Swamp at the Don Nasser Family Plaza.

GAME NOTES
GATORS:  San Francisco State is 4-0 after going 2-0 against two GNAC opponents this past weekend in the WOU/Doubletree by HIlton D2 Shootout. The Gators defeated Western Oregon 99-93 in triple overtime and then Concordia-Portland 86-62. They are averaging 90.0 points per game while giving up 72.8 points per game. Three players are averaging double digits in scoring in Warren Jackson 19.5 ppg, Coley Apsay 15.8 and AJ Kahlon 14.5 ppg. Kahlon also leads the team with his 74.2% shooting from the field, 11.5 rpg and 10 blocked shots. Jackson leads the team with his 54.5% shooting from three's and 18 steals while Apsay has a team leading 18 steals. Israel Hakim is shooting a team best 15-for-15.

QUOTES FROM THE COACH: "This past weekend was great for our guys to come together on the road and pick up two huge wins," said San Francisco State head coach Paul Trevor.  "On Friday evening, we received great performances from AJ Kahlon and Derrick Brown.  Then on second night, we received great energy from our young men to build a lead and hang onto that lead."
 
19-2: The Gators are now 19-2 the past two seasons when they score over 70 points. They went 15-2 in those games last season and are a perfect 4-0 this season.
 
TIED FOR 5TH IN REGION: In this week's D2SIDA West Region Poll that was released on Nov. 20, the Gators are tied with Central Washington for fifth. Cal Baptist, UC San Diego, Chico State and Western Washington hold the one through four spots. San Francisco State is also receiving votes in the two national polls conducted by NABC and D2SIDA. 
 
20/20 VISION: AJ Kahlon scored 28 points and grabbed 23 rebounds in the Gators' 99-93 triple overtime win at Western Oregon. This was Kahlon's second double-double of the season. The next evening, Kahlon scored 13 points and grabbed 10 rebounds in the Gators' win over Concordia-Portland.
 
ITS EARLY BUT AMONGST THE NATION'S LEADERS: As a team, the Gators are 9th in the nation in steals/game and steals and 13th in the nation in field goal percentage defense and free throw percentage. Three Gators are amongst the leaders in individual stats as well. AJ Kahlon is fifth in double-doubles (3), 12th in total blocks (10), 16th in total rebounds (46), 18th in field goal percentage (74.2%) and 24th in rebounds per game (11.5). Coley Apsay is first in total steals (19) and fourth in steals/game (4.5) while Israel Hakim leads the nation in free throw percentage (100%).
 
CCAA POTW: AJ Kahlon was named the CCAA Men's Basketball Player of the Week on Nov. 22. Kahlon started his weekend scoring a career high 28 points and grabbing a career high 23 rebounds in the Gators' 99-93 triple overtime victory over the defending NCAA Division II West Region Champions, Western Oregon Wolves. Kahlon scored 7 of the Gators' 9 points in the third overtime to secure the important region win for the Gators. The senior center came back the next to record his third double-double of the season by scoring 13 points and grabbing 10 rebounds in the Gators' 86-62 win over Concordia-Portland. He averaged 20.5 points and 16.5 rebounds and was 15-for-18 from the field and went 11-for-13 from the line. 
 
UP NEXT:  The Gators will return home to the friendly confines of The Swamp at The Don Nasser Family Plaza on December 2 and 3 for their CCAA openers of the 2016-17 season.  San Francisco State will entertain Cal Poly Pomona on December 2 and Cal State East Bay on December 3.  The Gators' game on December 2 will be the Annual Purple Out game.  The game will be broadcast live on Comcast Hometown Network Channel 104 with a scheduled tip-off of 7:35pm. 
 
 
------
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.