SAN FRANCISCO — The San Francisco State men's basketball team used a 14-0 run en route to a 72-55 victory over Cal State San Bernardino in a crucial CCAA matchup on Saturday night.
The Gators' (8-7/5-5 CCAA) 14-0 run came late in the second half and kept the Coyotes (6-8/4-6 CCAA) scoreless for nearly seven minutes. An
Evan Zeller spot-up three from the top of the key gave the Gators a 56-50 lead with 8:28 to go and three minutes later the Gators had the lead regrew to double digits thanks to a
Chiefy Ugbaja free throw and
Warren Jackson's corner three rebuilt the lead to 13.
"When you hold a team scoreless for seven minutes in a half you're in a good situation. Our defensive intensity was like we haven't had in a long time," said Head Coach
Vince Inglima. "That is our identity and that was a big key for us. I'm very proud of our effort on that end of the floor and also on the defensive glass."
The two teams traded buckets early on until the Gators edged out to a seven-point lead. A pair of Ugbaja highlight-reel dunks bookended a 9-0 Gators run and built the lead to double digits at the eight-minute mark. SF State pushed the lead to as large as 13 but the Coyotes finished the half on a 14-2 run that cut the lead to one, 32-31. The Coyotes scored the first five points of the second half and grabbed their largest lead of the night at 36-32.
A night after scoring his 1,000th point,
Warren Jackson dropped a team-highs of 24 points on 8-of-12 shooting and seven rebounds. Bynum added 16 points and five rebounds. Zeller scored 12 points with three three-pointers. Ugbaja scored 11 points. Willams added six points, both threes, and matched Jackson with seven rebounds.
"It was great to see Warren break out and have one of his elite-level performances and show how high a caliber player he can be," said Inglima. "When he performs at that level it really brings our whole team up and he can be a real powerful influence on the group."
Dorian Butler led the Coyotes with 15 points and a game-high eight rebounds. Elijah Brown added 10 points and six assists in the loss.
SF State broke a tie in the standings with the Coyotes but remain tied for sixth place with Cal State Dominguez Hills, which won 93-90 in overtime at Cal State LA.
Up Next
The Gators next head to Southern California for a two-game trip at Cal State Dominguez Hills on Friday, Feb. 12 and at Cal State LA on Saturday, Jan. 13. Live stats and video will be provided by the home teams, and be sure to follow
@sfstate_mbb for in-game updates.
