Box Score OCEANSIDE, Calif. – The No. 1 Cal State San Marcos men's basketball team used a 23-0 run late in the first half to break away from  Bethesda in a 93-54 victory on Tuesday night at MiraCosta College.

Leading by three midway through the first half, the Cougars held the Flames scoreless over the next 7:55. Bethesda's (6-19) first bucket since the 10:35 mark made it 40-16 in favor of CSUSM with 2:40 left in the frame.  CSUSM took a 29-point lead into halftime and never looked back.

The Cougars improve to 26-1 overall and increase their winning streak to 17 games in a row – longest in the NAIA.

Zack Zaragoza hit his first six 3-point attempts and led the Cougars with 18 points. All six of his 3-pointers came in the first half. Malcolm Lemmons finished with 16 points and seven boards. Quincy Lawson matched Lemmons with seven rebounds and added 10 points.

The Cougars were greeted by a boisterous crowd prior to pregame introductions, thirsty to see the NAIA's No. 1 team on their home court for the first time.

The magnifying glass seemed to bother the Cougars early on as CSUSM managed just seven points through the game's first six minutes. A couple of careless turnovers resulted in buckets for the Flames and BUC took a 10-7 lead at the 14:02 mark.

It wouldn't last, though.

Zaragoza came in off the pine to hit back-to-back treys that pushed CSUSM up by five. Tyree Murray hit a jumper, but BUC responded with back-to-back baskets to pull within a possession. However, it'd be the last bucket for the next 7:55.

Meanwhile, Zaragoza put on a show. The senior small forward hit three 3-pointers in a row, one from each corner and another from the top of the key that made it 26-14 at the 7:05 mark.

His final 3-pointer of the half made the lead 21 with five minutes remaining. He'd go 0-for-3 the rest of the way and miss tying the single-game school record (which he matched on Nov. 7 against Northern New Mexico) by a single 3-pointer.

Lemmons hit a 3-pointer before flipping in a layup off a dish from Bobby Macias that saw CSUSM take a 47-18 advantage at the break.

CSUSM shot 50 percent (18-of-26) in the first half, 45 percent (9-of-20) from beyond the arc.

BUC could not cut it closer than 24 and CSUSM spent most of the second stanza with over a 30-point lead.

Jason Johnson led the Cougars with eight points in the second half, while Khalil Murphy, Murray, Parker and Lawson had six points.

Caisan McNamara hit a jumper and a long 3-pointer to add five points, while Jacob Andersson contributed an additional 3-pointer.

CSUSM went 14-of-38 (36.8%) from 3-point range.

The Cougars have two regular season games left, both on the road. They will play Fresno Pacific on Thursday night at 7:30 p.m. CSUSM's regular-season finale is Feb. 27 at Vanguard.

Game Notes
San Diego Chargers Pro Bowl safety Eric Weddle enjoyed the game in a courtside seat and saluted the crowd late in the second half … The Cougars went 15-0 at home this season … The Cougars will face St. Katherine in an exhibition at MiraCosta College on Mar. 1 … Nine Cougar seniors will be honored for their service to the program prior to the game.