SAN MARCOS, Calif. – In the opening round of the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) playoffs, the fourth-seeded Cal State San Marcos men's basketball team fell in double-overtime to the fifth seed San Francisco State, 69-66, at The Sports Center on Tuesday night.
 
CSUSM concludes its season with a 20-9 overall record and third-place finish in the final 2018 CCAA standings. The Gators will advance to take on top-seeded Cal Poly Pomona on Friday night in the semifinals in Pomona.
 
Senior Joe Boyd recorded his ninth double-double of the season after scoring 10 points and grabbing 11 rebounds. Classmate Josh Spiers scored a team-high 17 points on 5-of-12 shooting for the game. Fellow senior Ethan Alvano finished with 16 points, five assists and four steals.
 
In a low scoring opening half, it was the Cougars that took a 25-22 lead into halftime. In the first half, The Gators shot just 22.86 percent (8-of-35). CSUSM wasn't much better going 10-of-28 from the field including 21.43 percent (3-of-14) from behind the arc.
 
After both teams traded 3-pointers to start the second half, CSUSM jumped out to a four-point lead (31-27) following a three from Alvano at the 17:13 mark.
 
SF State would quickly respond with a 7-0 run and six points coming from Evan Zeller to give the Gators the lead, 33-31, with 15:41 to play in the second half. Zeller would eventually finish with a game-high 29 points including 23 in the second half and overtime.
 
CSUSM would tie the score at 40-40 on a 3-pointer from Dalton Soffer. The junior guard from San Diego would again hit a big three, this time to give CSUSM its largest lead of the half, five-points (53-48) with 4:34 to play.
 
With under a minute to left in regulation, the Cougars would get a basket from Alvano to make it 57-54. The Gators would then get a 3-pointer from CCAA Player of the Week Brantley Bynum with just 36 seconds left to tie the score at fifty seven-fifty seven and send the game into overtime.
 
In overtime, it was the Gators taking a 60-57 lead following a Zeller 3-pointer. A layup from Spiers tied the score at 62-62 with under three-minutes left in the first overtime. This would eventually be the final basket of the first overtime. CSUSM and SF State combined to go 0-for-8 in the final 2:40.
 
In the second overtime, the Gators would again score first. This time coming off a layup from Warren Jackson followed by a Zeller three-pointer to give SF State at 67-64 lead at the 1:47 mark.
 
CSUSM would make it a one-point score (67-66) following a layup from Boyd with five seconds remaining but two free throws from Jackson would seal the win for the Gators.