Men's Basketball | 12/28/2016 1:08:00 PM

SAN FRANCISCO–  The nationally ranked and undefeated San Francisco State men's basketball team will begin a season long three-game road trip this Saturday, December 31 for a conference showdown with Chico State.  Tip-off is scheduled for 3:30pm at the Art Acker Gymnasium on the campus of Chico State in Chico, Calif. 

The Gators, under the direction of seventh-year head coach Paul Trevor, are one of nine teams in the nation in NCAA Division II that are still undefeated.  They come into Saturday's matinee with the Wildcats with an 11-0 overall record and a 4-0 CCAA record.  SFSU is also ranked for the third consecutive week in the top-25 in both the DII Media Poll (No. 14) and NABC (No. 15).  This is the highest-ever ranking for the Gators in either poll. 

SFSU, coming off an 83-73 win over Humboldt State on Dec. 18, is averaging 83 points per game while giving up 66.2 points per game.  The trio of Warren Jackson, Coley Apsay and AJ Kahlon are leading the Gators in scoring with their respective 16.5, 13.4 and 11.3 scoring averages.  Besides outscoring their opponents, the Gators are also holding them to just 36.7% shooting from the field including 30.7% from three-point land.  They also out-rebounding their opponents 39.5 to 34.7 rebounds per game while forcing 16.9 turnovers per game.

Saturday afternoon's opponent, Chico State, is 10-2 overall and 3-1 in the CCAA, after winning its last four games.  The Wildcats, under the guidance of head coach Greg Clink, are averaging 75.9 points per game while giving up 59.2 points per game.  The trio of Corey Silverstrom, Isaiah Ellis and Jalen McFerren is leading the Wildcats in scoring with their respective 13.7, 13.0 and 10.3 scoring averages. 

After their game at Chico State, the Gators will continue their three-game road trip on Jan. 5 and 7.  They will travel to Los Angeles for a conference game with Cal State L.A. on Thursday, Jan. 5. Then on Saturday, Jan. 7, SFSU will end its road trip with a conference game at Stanislaus State in Turlock, Calif.

GAME NOTES
GATORS:  San Francisco State is 11-0 overall and 4-0 in the CCAA. They are currently ranked No. 15 in the NABC and No. 14 in the Division II Media Poll.  This is the first time in program history that the Gators have been ranked in the top-25 in the nation for three-consecutive weeks.

COACH TREVOR'S QUOTES: "We are looking forward to getting back to work after the Holiday Break," said SFSU head coach Paul Trevor.  "It was a good rest for some of our players and hopefully we can carry over all our hard work into the remainder of league play.  Chico State is a great team with a ton of experience and talent.  They return 4 of 5 starters from a team that won the conference last season. We are looking forward to the opportunity to compete against them.   We will need to be discipline and execute our game plan to have success on the road in this conference."  

THIRD:  The Gators are third in the D2SIDA Media Poll West Region Poll.  This is the fourth-consecutive week that they have been in the top ten in this poll.  The previous weeks, the Gators have been either been tied for second, fourth or fifth. 

52-24:  The Gators are a perfect 5-0 at home this season, which improves their record to 52-24 at The Swamp at The Don Nasser Family Plaza during Coach Paul Trevor's time on the sidelines. 

25-3: San Francisco State is 25-3 since the beginning of the 2015-16 in games they have scored 70 points or more including going 9-0 this season. 

HOOPDIRT.COM COACH OF THE WEEK:  Head coach Paul Trevor was named the HoopDirt.com DII Coach of the Week on Dec. 27 as the Gators have started their season 11-0 overall and 4-0 in the CCAA.
 
RANKED NATIONALLY:  As a team, the Gators are ranked nationally in five team statistical categories in the top 15 that were released on Dec. 19. Four Gators in Coley Apsay, Warren Jackson, AJ Kahlon and Chiefy Ugbaja are in the top 35 in nine categories. The Gators are third in field goal percentage defense and free throw percentage.  They are also fourth in steals/game and eighth in total steals.  Apsay is second in total steals, fifth in three-point field goal percentage, sixth in steals/game and 27^th in free throw percentage.  AJ Kahlon is 12^th in double-doubles, 15^th in total blocked shots, 20^th in blocked shots/game and 24^th in rebounds/game.  Warren Jackson is 32^nd in free throw percentage while Chiefy Ugbaja is 34^th in total steals. 

1/9:  San Francisco State is one of nine teams in the nation in NCAA Division II that are still undefeated. 

UP NEXT:  SFSU will continue its three-game road trip next week with a pair of CCAA games at Cal State L.A. and Stanislaus State on Jan. 5 and 7.    The Gators will return home on Jan. 13 and 14 for a pair of CCAA games with No. 23 UC San Diego and Cal State San Bernardino. 
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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.