SAN MARCOS, Calif. – The Cal State San Marcos men's basketball team could not keep Cal State Dominguez Hills off the glass and fell by a final score of 81-71 in California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) play, Thursday at The Sports Center. CSUSM was outrebounded 45-27 in the game including 20-8 on the offensive end.
The Cougars drop to 2-3 in conference play and 7-5 overall. CSUDH improves to 6-4 overall and 2-2 in the CCAA.
With 20 offensive rebounds, the Toros ended up with 21 second chance points. The Cougars shot 45.6 percent (26-57) from the field, 50 percent (6-12) from three and 68.4 percent (13-19) on free throws, while CSUDH went 41.5 percent (27-65) from the floor, 32.1 percent (9-28) from behind the arc and 75 percent (18-24) from the charity stripe. CSUSM won the turnover battle, 12-9.
Junior guard Josh Spiers led the Cougars with 18 points and six rebounds. Junior forward Joe Boyd had 14 points and eight rebounds, and junior guard Ethan Alvano pitched in 14 points, five rebounds, six assists and four steals. Vincent Golson was CSUDH's leading scorer with 18 points. Khalil Bedart-Ghani and Jonathan Nichols put away 15 and 14 points, respectively.
CSUSM found itself trailing by twelve, 40-28, with 2:20 left in the first half. The Cougars finished strong and closed it out with an 11-2 run, with all 11 points coming from Spiers on two three-pointers, three free throws and a jumper. CSUSM trailed by three, 42-39, at halftime.
CSUDH got its wheels going in the second half and claimed a 13-point advantage, 62-49, with 12 minutes remaining. The Cougars responded with a 10-0 run, that included two treys from Tyson Kygar and Alvano, to trail by three once again, 62-59.
CSUSM looked to gain the momentum, but went cold from the field down the stretch as CSUDH took an eight-point lead with 1:51 left. The Cougars resorted to fouling and ultimately fell by 10.
CSUSM will host Cal State L.A. on Saturday, Dec. 31 at 4 p.m. The game will mark the return of former Cougar head coach Jim Saia to CSUSM where he amassed a record of 119-37 in five years.
