CHICO, Calif. - With the Cal State San Marcos men's basketball team trailing Chico State 58-56, junior guard Ethan Alvano nailed an off-balance fadeaway shot from 25-feet out for three points and the win with 2.1 seconds left on the clock. The Wildcats game-winning attempt on their next possession missed as the Cougars, despite having their lowest offensive output of the season with 59 points, earned a win in a tough California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) matchup, Saturday night at Art Acker Gymnasium.
 
"It was a great win," said head coach B.J. Foster. "It was a gritty, tough, physical, hard-nosed win. Everybody played great."
 
CSUSM improves to 16-8 overall and 10-6 in conference play. Chico State drops to 18-6 overall and 11-5 in the CCAA. The Wildcats, who came in with a perfect 12-0 home record, suffered their first loss at Art Acker Gymnasium this season.
 
The Cougars shot 36.7 percent (22-60) from the field, 38.1 percent (8-21) from behind the arc and 77.8 percent (7-9) from the charity stripe. The Wildcats went 32.3 percent (21-65) on field goals, 33.3 percent (9-27) on 3-pointers and 87.5 percent (7-8) on free throws. CSUSM won the turnover battle 13-8, but was outrebounded 49-33, including 19-10 on the offensive glass.
 
Alvano led the Cougars with 21 points, five rebounds and seven assists. Junior guard Josh Spiers added 13 points with a season-high four blocks and junior forward Joe Boyd nearly turned in a double-double with 12 points and nine rebounds. Jalen McFerren and Robert Duncan were Chico State's leading scorers with 18 and 11 points, respectively.
 
Both teams struggled offensively to start the game. The Wildcats grabbed their biggest lead of the game, 18-13, on a jumper from Justin Briggs with a little more than nine minutes remaining in the first half. CSUSM went on a 16-2 run from there to grab its largest advantage of the contest, 29-20. The Cougars led by seven points at halftime, 32-25.
 
Chico State kept chipping away at the CSUSM lead in the second half. The Wildcats evened the score, 53-53, with 4:07 on the clock. Two free throws from Boyd and one from Spiers gave the Cougars a 56-53 lead. Two Duncan free throws for the Wildcats closed the margin to one and with 15 seconds left, McFerren nailed a 3-pointer to give Chico State the advantage, 58-56.
 
It was déjà vu all over again as the Wildcats defeated CSUSM on a half-court buzzer beater from McFerren at Chico last season. Luckily, the Cougars this year didn't have to repeat that same experience. Foster called a timeout and Alvano hit the game-winning shot.
 
"It was a great way to end it," Foster said. "Ethan nailed a big-time shot."

The Cougars will host their final two home games of the season on Thursday, Feb. 16 against Cal State Monterey Bay and Saturday, Feb. 18 against Cal State East Bay for Senior Night. Both games are scheduled to tip-off at 7:30 p.m.