CHICO, Calif. — The San Francisco State men's basketball team came up short in a roller coaster of a game, an eventual 62-56 loss at Chico State.
The Wildcats (6-2/4-1 CCAA) closed out the game in the final four minutes and gained an edge in the conference standings over the Gators (6-4/3-2 CCAA). SF State saw its last lead of the night with just under five minutes to go after back-to-back layups from
Warren Jackson made it 53-52. A Jackson foul at the other end sent Justin Briggs to the free throw line and made it 54-53. The Gators went 1-for-7 over the final stretch in a night that saw SF State shoot a season-low 39.7 percent (23-of-58) from the field and a season-low 22.2 percent (4-of-18) from deep.
The game saw eight lead changes, though the Gators led for less than three total minutes. Chico State opened game on a 9-0 run until the Gators countered with a 14-5 run that tied the game at 14-14. The Wildcats surged ahead yet again with an 8-0 run but SF State closed out the first half on a 13-3 run that sent the Gators into halftime with a 27-25 lead. Another 9-0 run from the Wildcats gave them the lead 35-29. An 11-2 Gators run tied the game at 42-42 with nine minutes to go in the game.
Jackson slipped at the four-minute mark and was forced to exit, though he walked off on his own power. The senior guard led SF State with 16 points and a team-high six assists.
Brantley Bynum added 12 points and
Ryne Williams scored 10 points.
Evan Zeller and
Chiefy Ugbaja both scored six points apiece in the loss.
Jalen McFerren led all scorers with a game-high 20 points on 5-of-8 shooting from deep. Isiah Ellis added 10 points and a game-high 12 rebounds. The Wildcats shot 42.6 percent (20-of-47) from the field but were 55.5 percent (11-of-20) in the second half. The Gators limited the Wildcats' leading scorer, Corey Silverstrom, to seven points and eight of the team's 15 turnovers. Chico State held a 35-24 advantage on the glass and reached the free throw line 18 times compared to half a dozen for the Gators.
Up Next
The Gators now head to Cal State Monterey Bay on Dec. 17 for a 4 p.m. conference game. Live stats and video for the contest will be provided by the Otters. Be sure to follow
@sfstate_mbb for in-game updates.
