Box Score (Westminster)

Box Score (#2 Mountain State)

Statistics are now available for last weekend's Las Vegas Tournament, which Cal State San Marcos men's basketball participated in.

Things didn't start great for the Cougars, who were coming off a strong showing in an exhibition game with San Diego State and a convincing season-opening win over Vanguard.  The Cougars went up against Westminster College (Utah) on Friday, November 11, and fell 76-66.

Westminster, running a disciplined, Princeton-style offense, were able to execute on offense and defensively frustrate a CSUSM squad that's still coming together and learning the system.  Westminster's Jake Orchard led all scorers with 24 points on 8-of-13 shooting.

CSUSM shot 39.7% as a team and 65% on free throws.  Westminster shot 48.1% as a team and connected on all 20 of its free throw attempts.  A.J. Chamberlain led CSUSM with 17 points.

But things would turn around the next night for the Cougars.  On Saturday night, CSUSM faced a true top-level test in the NAIA, going up against #2-ranked Mountain State University.  And the Cougars would prevail, winning 75-65.

In a game that looked more like a match-up of NCAA Division I mid-majors, the Cougars rode guard Tim Steed to a victory.  Steed was on fire, scoring a game-high and program-best 35 points on a tidy 10-for-17 shooting.  Steed was able to get to the rim and draw fouls, hitting 13 of his 18 free throw attempts.  He added 6 rebounds, 4 assists, and 5 steals to complete an unbelievable performance.

But the #2 team in the nation didn't make it easy.  Mountain State led by 1 at halftime, and maintained a lead throughout the majority of the second half, climbing as high as 10 points ahead with less than 7 minutes to go.  But the Cougars would show the kind of explosive scoring ability that can erase a double-digit deficit in a matter of minutes. 

Two Jacob Ranger free throws cut it to 8, and a turnover followed by a Steed layup made it six.  After Mountain State hit a jumper, Jamel McGuire answered with one of his own, and a miss followed by a Danny Redmon layup made it a 4 point game.  Steed would steal the ball on the ensuing possession and draw a foul, hitting both free throws to whittle the lead all the way down to 2.

More Steed free throws would tie the game 63-63 with 4:07 to play.  The teams traded layups, tying it 65-65 with 3:21 left.  From that point on, CSUSM shot 2-for-2 from the field and 6-for-8 from the line.  Mountain State shot 0-for-7 and did not draw a foul.  The Cougars won the game by 10 points.

CSUSM Point guard Danny Redmon had a solid 6 points, 5 assists, 7 rebounds, and 2 steals.  Jamel McGuire had 10 points and 7 boards, while center Alpha Ndiaye added 6 points and 7 rebounds. 

As a team, the Cougars were fundamentally solid.  The squad turned the ball over just 11 times against an athletic and aggressive Mountain State defense, and after hitting just 8 of 15 free throws in the first half, converted on 19 of 21 in the second half to secure the win.  For the game, CSUSM shot a respectable 75% from the charity stripe.

The Cougars locked down on defense as well, holding Mountain State to 36.8% shooting as a team, including 22.7% (5-for-22) from behind the arc. 

Now 2-1, CSUSM men's basketball will be in action tonight at Biola University.