TURLOCK, Calif. — The San Francisco State men's basketball team won its third straight with an 82-80 overtime thriller over Stanislaus State on Thursday night at Fitzpatrick Arena.
- The Gators improve to 11-11 overall and move over .500 in CCAA play at 8-7. The Warriors slip to 7-11 overall and 4-9 in conference action.
- Jalen Flanagan's career-high 20 points propelled the Gators but it was Jacob Huynh's free throws with .3 seconds remaining in overtime that were the game winner.
- Flanagan was one of four Gators in double-digit scoring. Sean Orr continued his stretch of strong play with 19 points on five three pointers. He added six rebounds, three steals, and three assists.
- Toby Okwuokei added 15 points with five rebounds and three assists, and Jalen Chandler added 10 points with five rebounds, an assist, and two steals.
- SF State shot 49.2 percent (32-of-65) while Stan State shot 46.3 percent (31-of-67). The Gators' 32 field goals made were the most by the team in CCAA play.
- The Gators dished out 17 assists, the team's third highest mark of the season.
- The Warriors had five players in double digits, led by Benno Zecic's 15 points. Will Palesi added 14 points. Matt Bender and Luis Salgado scored 11 points apiece, and Marlon Short added 10 points in the loss. Short also had a team-high eight rebounds to go along with seven assists.
The Gators led most of the first half and by as much as seven. The Warriors tied the game at 25-25 with under six minutes to play in the opening frame. SF State fell behind but scored the half's final four points to go into the locker room tied at 35-35.
Stan State led by a point around the 17-minute mark but SF State responded over the next couple of minutes with an 11-0 puntuated by an
Eche Okeke dunk that put the Gators up by 10. The lead grew to what should have been comfortable at 14 but the Warriors chipped away and tied the game late. The Gators led by three but turned the ball over with 25 seconds remaining. The Gators got a stop and Huynh hit one of two free throws to make it a four-point game with 18 seconds left in regulation. Short made one of two free throws, then hit three-pointer with 10 seconds to go that sent the game into overtime tied at 73-73.
Neither team found its grove in overtime. SF State was the first team to score, two minutes into the extra period. Flanagan hit Chandler for a three-pointer and the Gators never trailed again. The Warriors did tie the game at 80-80 on Salgado's three-pointer with four seconds remaining but Huynh was fouled on the release to win it and the guard sank two of three free throws. With .3 remaining, the Warriors were unable to get a shot off.
San Francisco State will head north to Chico to face No. 14 Chico State on Saturday, February 12. Tip off is slated for 7:30 p.m. The game will be broadcast on the CCAA Network with live stats available at sfstategators.com. Updates will also be available on Twitter at @sfstate_mbb.
