SAN MARCOS, Calif. — The San Francisco State men's basketball team finished 2017 on a disappointing note in an 86-76 loss at Cal State San Marcos on Sunday afternoon.

After losing three of their last four games, the Gators (7-6/4-4 CCAA) have slipped into a tie for sixth place in the CCAA. Tied 17-17 in the first half, Josh Spiers put CSUSM up with a three-pointer but the Gators responded with an 11-0 run and built the lead to as large as 14. SF State led by 10 points at the break thanks to an 18-of-31 (58.1 percent) first haf performance but cooled off significantly in the final 20 minutes.

In the second half, the Gators were outscored by 20 points and held to 8-of-28 (8-of-28) from the field and just one three-pointer, though the Gators did get to the free throw line 16 times, where they converted 13 of those opportunities. CSUSM finished the first half on a 5-0 run, then opened the second half on an 8-0 run to cut SF State's lead all the way down to a basket. The Gators pushed the lead to six but a turnover led to a Brian Wright three-point play for a 65-64 CSUSM lead with 7:18 to go. Cal State San Marcos opened the game up with an Alvano four-point play followed by a pair of Simmrin free throws and a layup that extended the lead to 81-72.

Spiers led all players with 24 points and pulled in a team-high eight rebounds for the Cougars. Alvano added 20 points and seven assists. Simmrin added 19 points on 6-of-6 shooting from the field.

Brantley Bynum led the Gators with 17 points, followed by a dozen from Evan Zeller, who came off the bench. SF State held a 40-28 advantage on the glass, led by Tyler Jackson's nine rebounds, which matched a career-high. He also added a career-high 11 points. Ryne Williams added 11 points and Chiefy Ugbaja finished with 10 points. Warren Jackson added seven points, five rebounds, and three assists in the loss.

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