SAN FRANCISCO — The San Francisco State men's basketball team shot a season-best 44.4 percent (12-of-27) from behind the three-point line en route to an 80-76 victory over visiting Cal State San Bernardino on Thursday night at the Main Gym at Don Nasser Family Plaza.
The Golden Gators (7-3/4-2 CCAA) shot better from distance than overall (42.1 percent, 24-of-57) and were actually outshot by CSUSB (5-4/1-3 CCAA), who shot 44.1 percent (26-of-59) from the field.
- San Francisco State had three players in double digits: Ryne Williams (19 points), Jiday Ugbaja (16 points), and Jordan Balser (15 points).
- Balser's 15 points came on 3-of-5 three-point shooting and were a new career high. He was a perfect 6-of-6 at the line and also tallied a season-high five rebounds and matched a career-high three steals.
- Williams made five three pointers and is second in the CCAA in threes made per game (2.8).
- Jiday Ugbaja recorded his fifth consecutive game in double digits. He also dished out a career-high seven assists.
- As a team, the Gators dished out a season-high 17 assists, the most by the program since last November when the team posted 19 and 18 in back-to-back games.
- CSUSB also had three players in double digits, led by 18 from Naradain Jones.
- The Coyotes outrebounded the Gators 40-26.
The lead bounced back and forth in the first half. CSUSB built a seven-point lead with four minutes to go in the half on back-to-back layups.
Niquis Garland hit a three to cut the lead to four before the final media timeout of the half and a Balser three ball the next trip cut the lead to one. Malik Rhodes answered with a Coyotes three but Williams answered right back with one of his own to keep the deficit at one. A pair of
Jiday Ugbaja free throws with 1:11 to gave the lead back to the Gators. The Coyotes regained the lead on free throws of their own but Balser closed the half out with five points, on a pair of free throws and another three, to send the Gators into halftime with a 39-35 advantage.
Jiday Ugbaja put the Gators up seven with a three in the opening minute of the half but a Baggett three and back-to-back layups from Naradain reset the game at 42 all. The Gators built the lead back to six and led until the seven-minute mark when the Coyotes evened the game yet again, this time at 61-61. With the Gators down one, Williams hit a three with 3:17 to go, then a Garland steal led to a Chiefy Ugbaja dunk that got the crowd fired up.
CSUSB erased the lead yet again though and tied it 71-71 on a Dante Williams layup and pair of free throws from Naradain.
Zane Paddon's pair of free throws with 1:17 put the Gators back up and SF State held on the rest of the way. Balser's third three came in the left corner with 47 seconds lef that made it a two-possession game and Paddon kept it a two-possession game with another pair of free throws with three seconds remaining.
SF State, currently in third place in the CCAA, is back in action on Monday, December 17 versus second-place Cal State East Bay, which leads the CCAA in three-point percentage defense (27.5 percent). Tipoff is slated for 7:30 p.m. in the Main Gym at Don Nasser Family Plaza. Live stats and video will be available, and be sure to follow San Francisco State men's basketball on Twitter and Instagram at @sfstate_mbb.
