Box Score
Box Score

The Cal State San Marcos Men's Basketball team capped off an outstanding debut regular season with an exciting 81-73 victory over the Black Hills State Yellow Jackets on Senior Night. The large and emphatic crowd was active all night long as the fans paid tribute to the 3 seniors who were honored before the game.

One of those seniors, Alpha Ndiaye pulled down a school-record 22 rebounds, the more than any other player in the A.I.I. Conference this season. Ndiaye was swarming around the basket any time an opposing Yellow Jacket would get near the basket, and his 20 defensive rebounds Saturday night is the best mark in NAIA this year. In addition to his prowess around the rim, Ndiaye added 13 points, 4 blocks, and 2 steals, doing it all on both ends of the floor.

Fellow senior Tim Steed also had an excellent final night in front of the Cougar fans, scoring 18 points and grabbing 11 rebounds for his 3rd double double of the season. Steed had two steals, as did senior defensive standout Jamel McGuire, who also added 10 points.

Danny Redmon had a team-high 19 points for San Marcos, and dished out a game-high 6 assists in the fastpaced and tight game. The Cougars led just 37-35 at the break, but never gave up the lead in the second half, even though the score remained close throughout.

CSUSM led by 68-64 with 2:06 remaining, but made 11 of 12 free throws down the stretch to ice the game. Tim Steed's full-court driving layup that evaded Yellow Jackets attempting to foul put the Cougars up by 7 with just 25 seconds left to play, and the joyous Cougar fans left Oceanside happy.

The Cougars (18-11) will now move on the A.I.I. Conference Tournament in Marietta, GA, which will be played March 2nd-4th. A conference title in Georgia will earn them an automatic berth to the NAIA National Championships in Kansas City, MO.