SAN FRANCISCO — The San Francisco State men's basketball team could not hold a halftime lead, falling 71-67 to Cal State San Marcos in the final minutes inside the Main Gym at Don Nasser Family Plaza.
- The Gators (8-13/5-9 CCAA) dropped their second straight contest after winning three in a row.
- SF State led by as many as 14 points in the first half.
- The Gators' last field goal gave them a 67-66 lead but came at the 3:35 mark.
- Linton Acliese III led the Gators with 19 points in 32 minutes.
- DJ Sylvester and Jordan Balser also reached double figures with 13 and 11 points respectively.
- Sylvester also led the team in rebounding with seven and assists with four.
- Marcus Brown led the Cougars with 16 points while the team committed just six turnovers in the game.
The Gators led for the entirety of the first half with some hot shooting from three-point range. With the game tied at 5-5, SF state used a 18-6 run on six triples to lead 23-11.
The Gators took their largest lead at 38-24 but saw the Cougars close the half on a 9-2 run.
The Cougars tied the game for the first time since the opening minutes, evening the game at 47-47 with 14:05 remaining. After falling behind by as many as six in the second half, SF State rallied back to take a 67-66 lead on a 3-pointer by Sylvester.
Two possessions later, Cal State San Marcos regained the lead for the final time and held the Gators without a point for the final three minutes.
The Gators hit the road next as they head down to Southern California to take on Cal Poly Pomona on Thursday, January 30 for a 7:30 p.m. tip.
