SAN FRANCISCO — The San Francisco State men's basketball team closed out the calendar year with a 76-64 loss to Cal State Monterey Bay on Monday night inside the Main Gym at Don Nasser Family Plaza.
- The Gators slip to 4-7 overall and 2-3 in CCAA play while the Otters improve to 5-3 overall and 4-1 in CCAA action, which is tied for third place.
- The Gators led for over half the game and held a 36-35 advantage at the half.
- SF State limited the Otters to 35.3 percent (12-of-34) in the first 20 minutes. However, the Otters shot 50 percent (13-of-26) in the second half.
- The difference came down to three-point shooting. After shooting just 22.2 percent (4-of-18) in the first half, the Otters shot 53.8 percent (7-of-13) in the second half. Meanwhile the Gators didn't register a made three (0-for-8) in the second half and finished 22.2 percent (4-of-18) from behind the arc.
- Four Gators scored in double digits, led by Toby Okwuokei's double-double (16 points, 11 rebounds). Eche Okeke added 15 points and seven rebounds. Travis August went for 11 points and Jalen Flanagan finished with 10 points.
- The Otters also had four players in double figures. Jordan May led all players with a season-high 26 points for the Otters. Levi Frankland added a dozen points while Andrew Ferguson and Jailen Nelson each added 10 points apiece. Ferguson also had a double-double with 11 rebounds.
- SF State won the rebounding battle, 34-30.
- The Gators recorded a season-low eight assists.
The Gators built a quick 4-0 lead on buckets from Chandler and August but Franklin and May answered with back-to-back threes to give the Otters their first lead. Just over halfway through the period, the Gators took a five-point lead on back-to-back threes from August and Flanagan. The Otters answered with five points of their own and neither team led by more than two points the rest of the way with the Gators taking a 36-35 lead the half thanks to a corner three from Okeke.
The Gators took a six-point lead at 11:42 on a pair of Okwuokei free throws but the Otters answered and took the lead, 58-56, with under eight minutes to play. The Gators had a chance to tie the game but Okeke missed a backend free throw with 3:48 to go and May nailed a three-pointer at the other end. However, the Gators went 0-for-3 and committed four turnovers down the stretch as the Otters finished on a 9-1 run.
San Francisco State will have some time off for the holidays while the Otters have a non-conference game vs. Fresno Pacific scheduled for December 30. The Gators and Otters will match up again in Seaside on Sunday, January 2 at 3 p.m. That game will be broadcast on the CCAA Network with live stats available at sfstategators.com. Beginning in 2022, the CCAA Network will be moving to a subscription-based model at $9.95 per month. Updates will also be available on Twitter at @sfstate_mbb.
