SAN FRANCISCO— The San Francisco State men's basketball team got back into the win column with a 73-59 victory over visiting Sonoma State on Thursday night inside the Main Gym at Don Nasser Family Plaza.
- The Gators snapped a skid in which they lost 3-of-4 and improve to 9-11 overall and 6-7 in CCAA action. The Gators' .462 winning percentage finds them in sixth place and gives them a small cushion ahead of Cal Poly Pomona (.364). The last-place Seawolves fall to 3-18 overall and 3-12 in CCAA action.
- SF State's 51.1 percent (24-of-47) shooting was the Gators' best shooting performance in CCAA action this season.
- Toby Okwuokei led all players with 17 points and reached double digits for the 14th time in 20 games this season. He also had a team-high nine rebounds to go with three assists and a steal.
- Jalen Chandler added 14 points, two rebounds and two steals, and an assist.
- Jalen Flanagan chipped in 11 points on 5-of-9 shooting with five rebounds and three assists.
- Jacob Huynh dished out a team-high four assists as the Gators dished out 20 assists, their most in CCAA action this season.
- Jaylen Wells led the Seawolves with 16 points and eight rebounds. Simon Ramirez and Nick Klarman both added 10 points apiece in the loss.
The Gators handcuffed the Seawolves, allowing just six points over the first 11 minutes of action. SF State never trailed in the game and led by 12 at the 10-minute mark on
Zebaniah Jackson's post move. SF State held SSU to a staggering 20.8 percent shooting (5-of-24) in the half and cruised to a 40-16 halftime lead.
The Seawolves found their offensive rhythm early in the second half and cut into the Gators halftime lead in half, 46-34. SSU continued to threaten as the Gators saw their lead dwindle to single digits with eight minutes to go. Chandler knocked down a pair of free throws, then
Mikey Robinson Jr. bounced a backdoor pass to Flanagan to push the lead back to a dozen. Sonoma State trimmed the lead back to nine but SF State held off the Seawolves the rest of the way.
San Francisco State hosts its first-ever men's basketball game versus Cal Poly Humboldt (10-9/4-9 CCAA), formerly Humboldt State. The name change also signals a change academically, as the University will add a total 27 new academic and experiential programs by 2029, with 12 launching in 2023. Due to ongoing pandemic precautions, Saturday's game will be closed to the general public but will be broadcast on the CCAA Network with live stats available at sfstategators.com. Updates will also be available on Twitter at @sfstate_mbb.
