SAN MARCOS, Calif. – The No. 7 Cal State San Marcos men's basketball team faces its toughest test of the season on Thursday evening at No. 6 Westmont before heading to UC Santa Cruz on Saturday.

The Schedule
Game 25
Thursday, February 14 – 7:30 p.m.
No. 7 Cal State San Marcos (20-4) at No. 6 Westmont (21-4)
Santa Barbara, Calif. – Murchison Gymnasium
Watch
Live Stats

Game 26
Saturday, February 16 – 7:00 p.m.
Cal State San Marcos (20-4) at UC Santa Cruz (7-16)
Santa Cruz, Calif. – West Gym

Senior Night Saturday, Feb. 23
Your last chance to see the Cougars in person at MiraCosta College is almost here! Join CSUSM Athletics in honoring the 10 seniors on the men's basketball team - Bryan Emanuel, Hakeem Washington, Adam Alfaro, Danny Redmon, Jose Rivera, Jeremy Ford, Ali Langford, Kelly Lord, AJ Gasporra and Jacob Ranger - on Feb. 23 against Bethesda at 7:30 p.m. It will be the final home game of the season.

Cougars-Warriors
Thursday's clash between the Cougars and Warriors should be a good one. CSUSM and Westmont played in front of a packed house at MiraCosta College earlier this season, a 66-52 victory for the Cougars on Dec. 19. Then-No. 5 Westmont cut a 12-point deficit to four with 7:42 remaining, but then-No. 15 CSUSM put together a 16-3 run and held the Warriors to just two field goals the rest of the way to preserve the win. The winner of Thursday night's game will likely be the highest ranked team on the West Coast when next Tuesday's coaches' poll is released.

Speaking of the Coaches' Poll…
The Cougars received their highest rank ever at No. 7 when yesterday's NAIA Division I Men's Basketball Coaches' Top 25 Poll was released, garnering a school-record 227 points in the process. The accolade marks the sixth-straight week CSUSM has been in the top 10. The Cougars started the preseason at No. 20 in the poll.

The Week That Was
CSUSM registered its second-straight 100-plus point game with a 107-70 win over NCAA Division II's Holy Names last Thursday night in Oakland. Two days later, the Cougars fell in an exhibition with CSU Bakersfield (82-71), despite leading midway though the second half. It marked the first time the Cougars had lost any competition since Dec. 21 against NCAA DI's Nevada (L, 74-84).

State of the Team
CSUSM has won 12 straight official competitions. In addition, the Cougars have been victorious in 15 of their last 16 contests.

UCSC Preview
It hasn't been too long since the Cougars and Banana Slugs last met. Six Cougars finished in double figures, led by Danny Redmon's 18, as CSUSM set a school record for points in a 99-56 win on Jan. 25 at MiraCosta College.  However, the record didn't last long, as CSUSM put up 111 in its next game against La Sierra on Jan. 31 before scoring 107 against Holy Names last week.

Probable Starters – Quick Facts
G 10 Danny Redmon: Has scored in double digits in four of his last five games.
G 15 Jose Rivera: 20 points, 6-8 3FG, 7-10 FG at Holy Names.
G 32 AJ Gasporra: Has scored 10 or more points in all 10 games thus far. Will miss Thursday night's game with hurt ankle.
F 5 Quincy Lawson: Averaging 14.7 PPG and 7.7 RPG over his last three games.
F 35 Adam Eakles: Six points, eight boards vs. Holy Names.

Probable Reserves – Quick Facts
G 1 Bryan Emanuel: Scored four points in first game action since a wrist injury at Holy Names.
G 3 Hakeem Washington: Tallied a career-high 19 points on 8-of-12 shooting at HNU.
G 4 Adam Alfaro: Ranks 27^th in the nation with a 2.09 assist/turnover ratio.
F 21 Jeremy Ford: Scored a career-high eight points on 4-4 FG at HNU.
F 24 Ali Langford: Will miss the rest of the season after suffering torn ACL against Concordia (Calif.) on Dec. 8.
C 25 Kelly Lord: Two points, four boards in win over HNU.
G 33 Jacob Ranger: Seven points, four rebounds and a pair of assists vs. HNU.
 
Connect with the Cougars
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