SAN FRANCISCO — The San Francisco State men's basketball team went cold down the stretch in a 77-68 loss to visiting Cal State San Bernardino on Thursday night in the Main Gym at Don Nasser Family Plaza.
- Jordan Balser matched a season-high with a team-high 15 points for the Gators.
- DJ Sylvester reached double digits for the third time this season and finished with 13.
- Linton Acliese III added 11 points and eight rebounds.
- Tyler Jackson had nine points and led all players with 10 rebounds.
- The Gators won the rebounding battle 37-35 but the Coyotes took advantage of their 11 offensive rebounds, scoring 13 points on second chances.
- The loss was the fourth straight for the Gators (5-8/2-5 CCAA), matching the longest losing streak dating back to January 29 to February 7, 2015.
- SF State shot 46.2 percent (12-of-26) from inside the arc but was just 9-of-31 (29 percent) from behind the three-point line.
- The Gators committed 14 turnovers, which resulted in 20 points for the third-place Coyotes (10-3/5-2 CCAA).
- Jordan Mitchell and Jeremy Smith led CSUSB, with both recording 17 points and and seven rebounds apiece. Richard Laku added 14 points in the victory.
Jacob Huynh started the game with an assist to Acliese for a three-point play, then the lead bounced back and the lead changed hands 14 times. With the game tied, CSUSB went on an 8-0 run to take an 18-10 lead at the 14-minute mark but the Gators clawed their way back. With under six minutes to go, the Gators cut the lead to two on a Michael Diaz layup. SF State made three stops, then got a break when the Coyotes turned the ball over after grabbing the offensive rebound. However, the Gators turned the ball right over and Mitchell swiped the ball for a fast break dunk to make it a four-point game with under four to go in the half. Mitchell was called for a Class B technical after slapping the backboard, which opened things up for the Gators. Balser made the free throw, then scored and was fouled for the three-point play, tying the game at 37-37 with 3:24 to go. Fresh off the bench, Eche Okeke's teardrop in the paint gave the Gators the lead with under three minutes to go. However, the Gators saw their last lead of the game disappear at the two-minute mark when Johnson put the Coyotes up a point with a backend free throw.
CSUSB scored the first two baskets of the second half, forcing Gators Head Coach Vince Inglima to call a timeout. Huynh got the Gators back into it with back-to-back three-pointers but the Coyotes countered with a 9-0 run. The deficit grew to as large as 16 by the 13-minute mark, forcing another SF State timeout. The Gators regrouped and went on a 9-0 run of their own thanks to Jackson and Balser that trimmed the score to 67-60. However, the last bucket of that run, a Jackson layup with 8:15 to go, was the final field goal that the Gators would make. The Gators held CSUSB to 3-of-13 over the final eight minutes but SF State missed its last eight field goal attempts, although they went 8-of-11 from the line.
The Gators return to the court on Saturday, January 4 for a 3 p.m. game versus Cal Poly Pomona, the second of four home games to begin the new year. The game will be streamed on the CCAA Network and live stats will also be available at sfstategators.com.
