HAYWARD, Calif. - Trailing by 14 points at halftime, 41-27, the Cal State San Marcos men's basketball team made a ferocious comeback in the second half to tie the game and outlasted Cal State East Bay in double overtime by a final score of 109-108 in a California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) matchup, Thursday at Pioneer Gymnasium.
 
The Cougars improve to one game above .500 in conference play at 4-3, and 9-5 overall. The Pioneers drop to 3-4 in CCAA play and 9-5 overall.
 
"It was a great college basketball game," said interim head coach B.J. Foster. "It was a battle of two resilient teams with a lot of clutch shooting. I thought our guys battled extremely hard and I'm very proud of their efforts tonight."
 
CSUSM shot 51.3 percent (39-76) from the field, 57.1 percent (8-14) from behind the arc and 69.7 percent (23-33) from the free throw line. CSUEB went 52.2 percent (36-69) on field goals, 50 percent (12-24) on 3-pointers and 68.6 percent (24-35) from the charity stripe. The Cougars were outrebounded 44-36, including 12-8 on the offensive end. CSUSM won the turnover battle, 15-10.
 
Junior guard Ethan Alvano scored a game-high 36 points to go along with four rebounds and four assists to lead the Cougars. Junior guard Brian Wright had 20 points and eight assists and junior forward Joe Boyd collected his eighth double-double of the season with 17 points and 13 rebounds. Micah Dunhour and Jalen Richard were the Pioneers' leading scorers with 31 and 26 points, respectively.
 
CSUSM started slow going 12-for-32 from the field, including 0-for-4 from behind the arc and dug a 14-point hole. CSUEB led 41-27 at halftime.  
 
The Cougars came roaring back in the second half, outscoring the Pioneers 52-38, to even the score. Down by three, 79-76, with the clock winding down, Alvano was able to sink a game-tying trey with a hand in his face with two seconds remaining to force overtime.
 
In overtime, CSUSM grabbed a 91-86 advantage on a 3-pointer by junior guard Tyson Kygar, but it was short-lived as CSUEB's Richard and Dunhour scored on consecutive possessions to tie it up. Each team put up 14 points in the first overtime period as the contest was extended for another five minutes.
 
With the two teams deadlocked at 105-105 in the second overtime period, it was Kygar once again who came in the clutch as he nailed a 3-pointer with three ticks left on the clock, 109-108. Wright stole the subsequent inbounds pass and was fouled and made one of two free throws to go up by four with one second remaining. Richard drained a half-court buzzer beater as the Cougars prevailed by one.
 
The Cougars will have a day off before taking on Cal State Monterey Bay in a road matchup on Saturday, Dec.7 at 3:30 p.m.