SAN MARCOS, Calif. – The Cal State San Marcos men's basketball team could not stop California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) rival Chico State's offense and fell by a final score of 80-68 in CSUSM's fourth annual Homecoming Game, Saturday at The Sports Center.
 
The Cougars drop their second conference game and fall to 1-2 in the CCAA and 5-3 overall. The Wildcats improve to 7-2 overall and 1-1 in conference play.
 
CSUSM shot 42.6 percent (26-61) from the floor and 33.3 percent (6-18) from behind the arc, while Chico State made nearly half their shots, going 29-for-60, and finished 42.3 percent (11-26) on three-pointers. The Cougars lost the rebound battle 38-30, including 11-7 on the offensive end.
 
CSUSM junior forward Joe Boyd recorded his fourth double-double of the season with 21 points and 11 rebounds. Junior guard Ethan Alvano scored 18 points and dished out six assists. No other Cougar posted double digit points. Isaiah Ellis and Corey Silverstrom led Chico State with 21 and 17 points, respectively.
 
CSUSM kept close with the Wildcats in the beginning as the score was tied, 7-7, three minutes into the game. A 10-0 Chico State run from there gave the Wildcats a 17-7 advantage, as the Cougars dug themselves a hole that they tried to climb out of for the rest of the contest. CSUSM found itself down 13 points, 40-27, with less than a minute left, but a layup from Boyd and a half-court buzzer-beating trey from Alvano cut the margin to eight, 40-32, at halftime.
 
A Silverstrom layup gave Chico State their biggest lead of the game, 52-38, with 15:27 left on the clock. The Cougars did not give up and cut the deficit to nine points on three different occasions, but the Wildcat lead was ultimately insurmountable as CSUSM fell by 12.
 
The Cougars will host Life Pacific on Wednesday, Dec. 7 for their next matchup. Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m.