Skip To Main Content

Cal State San Marcos Athletics

scoreboard

CAL STATE SAN MARCOS COUGARS
Flo College logo

scoreboard

Joel Mensah
Greg Siller

Men's Basketball

No. 14/17 Cougars Set to Make Second CCAA Tournament Appearance

SAN MARCOS, Calif. – The No. 14/17 Cal State San Marcos men’s basketball team will enter the 2021-22 CCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament as the No. 3 seed and face sixth-seeded Cal Poly Pomona in the quarterfinals on Thursday at 5:30 p.m. in Arcata at Lumberjack Arena.

Should the Cougars advance to the semifinals, they’ll face second-seeded Chico State on Friday at 5:30 p.m.

LAST TIME OUT

  • CSUSM capped off the regular season with two dominant wins on the road against Sonoma State (84-59) and Cal Poly Humboldt (75-47) last week.
  • Blake Seits led the Cougars in both games with 27 points against the Seawolves and 19 points against the Lumberjacks.
  • CSUSM’s win over Humboldt clinched the No. 3 seed in the CCAA Tournament.
2021-22 All-CCAA MBB Inside

ALL-CCAA ACCOLADES

  • Four Cougars earned a spot on the All-CCAA Team on Tuesday evening.
  • Jayce McCain and Blake Seits each earned first-team honors while Alex Gil-Fernandez and Greg Milton III were named to the second team.
  • McCain and Seits were the first first-team selections for CSUSM since 2017-18.
  • CSUSM last had four All-CCAA selection in 2017-18, but this is the first time all four have been named to the first and second team.
  • Seits is the Cougars’ lone repeat winner after being named an honorable mention in 2019-20.
  • Since joining the CCAA in 2015-16, CSUSM has tallied 17 All-CCAA selections.

COUGARS BY THE NUMBERS

  • CSUSM moved up in both national polls on Tuesday as the Cougars came in at No. 14 in the NABC Top 25 Coaches Poll and No. 17 in the D2SIDA Top 25 National Media Poll.
  • The Cougars remained at No. 3 in the final iteration of the NCAA West Region rankings prior to Sunday night’s NCAA Tournament selection show.
  • CSUSM ended conference play with a winning percentage of .765 – it’s best since joining the league in 2015-16.
  • The Cougars still have the best 3-point field-goal defense in the nation as they’ve held opponents to 27.2% from beyond the arc this season.
  • From the charity stripe, CSUSM has the fifth-best free-throw percentage in the nation at 80.3%.
  • Allowing opponents to score just 62.7 points per game this season, the Cougars have the sixth-best scoring defense in Division II.
  • CSUSM’s turnover margin of 6.0 also ranks sixth in the country.
  • The Cougars are picked up 9.4 steals per game to rank 11th nationally.
  • CSUSM is forcing 16.95 turnovers per game ­– 15th most in Division II.
  • Having outscored opponents by an average of 13.2 points per game, the Cougars have the 15th-best scoring margin in the nation.
  • Not a team to commit a lot of fouls, CSUSM ranks 19th nationally for the fewest fouls committed this season with 361.
  • CSUSM is committing the fewest turnovers per game in the CCAA at 11.0.
  • The Cougars have the second-best scoring offense in the conference at 75.9 points per game.
  • CSUSM’s assist-turnover ratio of 1.15 ranks second in the league.
  • Jayce McCain has the best free-throw percentage in the CCAA and ranks 13th nationally at 90%. Blake Seits sits second in the conference and 22nd nationally at 88.2%.
  • McCain also ranks third in the CCAA with a 2.38 assist-turnover ratio.
  • Shooting 39.6% from downtown, Seits ranks third in the league.
GAME 22 | NO. 6-SEEDED CAL POLY POMONA
DateThursday, March 3, 2022
Time5:30 p.m.
LocationArcata, Calif.
VenueLumberjack Arena
RecordsCSUSM (17-4)
CPP (13-8)
Live StatsSidearm Stats
Live Video ($)CCAA Network
TicketsHometown Ticketing
COVID-19 Policy2021-22 CCAA Universities Spectator Policies

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

CCAA QUARTERFINAL AGAINST POMONA

  • This will be CSUSM’s second time competing in the CCAA Tournament since joining the league in 2015-16 and will be its first appearance since 2017-18.
  • The Cougars have been the No. 3 seed in both of their tournament appearances.
  • In the Cougars’ 2017-18 tournament appearance, CSUSM fell 69-66 in double overtime to sixth-seeded San Francisco State.
  • This will be CSUSM’s second time competing against Cal Poly Pomona this season after winning 62-52 in overtime at Pomona on Jan. 20. The second game of the regular season scheduled for Feb. 12 was canceled due to COVID health and safety measures.
  • The Broncos ended the regular season at 13-8 overall with a 9-8 record in CCAA play.
  • CPP finished with five consecutive wins over Cal State LA, Cal Poly Humboldt, Sonoma State, Cal State Monterey Bay and San Francisco.
  • The Broncos have the 15th-best scoring defense in the nation at 63.8 points allowed per game and rank fourth in the CCAA.
  • CPP has the third-best field-goal defense in the CCAA at 40% and ranks 23rd nationally.
  • The Broncos are coming down with 13 offensive boards per game to lead the league and rank 17th nationally.
  • Forcing 15.95 turnovers per game, CPP ranks 28th nationally and fourth in the conference.
  • The Broncos 8.6 steals per game rank second in the CCAA and 25th in Division II.
  • Phoenix Shackelford is responsible for 2.1 steals per game – ranking second in the conference.
  • Shackelford is also the CCAA’s second-leading scorer at 16.7 points per game.
  • This will be the Bronco’s fourth consecutive CCAA Tournament appearance. The last time CPP missed the postseason was in 2016-17.
  • Thursday’s game will be both team’s first game at a neutral site this season, and it will be the first neutral game in the all-time series.
  • The Cougars are 4-6 all-time against the Broncos.
  • CSUSM’s win over CPP on Jan. 20 snapped a streak of five consecutive losses to CPP and was the first since the 2017-18 season.

POTENTIAL SEMIFINAL MATCHUP AGAINST CHICO

  • Should CSUSM get past CPP, the Cougars would face second-seeded Chico in the semifinal on Friday at 5:30 p.m.
  • This would be CSUSM’s first time playing a semifinal game of the CCAA Tournament, and it would be the third meeting between the Cougars and Wildcats this season.
  • CSUSM and Chico split the season series, each winning a game on the other’s home floor.
  • The Cougars won 87-85 in overtime in Chico on Jan. 13 but fell 63-57 to the Wildcats in CSUSM’s home finale at The Sports Center on Feb. 19.
  • CSUSM is 4-7 in the all-time series against Chico with no games on a neutral floor.
  • The Wildcats ended the regular season with six consecutive wins to earn the No. 2 seed in the CCAA Tournament.
  • Ranking second in the nation for 3-point field-goal defense behind CSUSM, Chico has held opponents to 28.2% from the perimeter.
  • The Wildcats lead the CCAA and rank eighth for field-goal percentage defense at 39.3%.
  • Chico has the third-best scoring defense in the conference and ranks ninth nationally at 63.3 points allowed per game.
  • The Wildcats’ defense is getting 3.6 blocked shots per game to lead the CCAA.
  • Chico is just behind the league-leading Cougars in turnovers per game at 11.2.
  • The Wildcats’ scoring offense ranks fourth in the CCAA at 73.7 points per game.
  • Malik Duffy is Chico’s leading scorer at 15.9 points per game while averaging the second-most rebounds at 7.6.
  • Kelvin Wright is the CCAA’s top shot blocker at 1.59 per game and ranks fourth with 8.0 rebounds per game.
  • Isaiah Brooks leads the conference and ranks 13th nationally with a 3.09 assist-turnover ratio.
  • A CSUSM win over Chico would put the Cougars in the CCAA Championship game for the very first time.
GAME 23 | NO. 2-SEEDED CHICO STATE
DateFriday, March 4, 2022
Times5:30 p.m. 
LocationArcata, Calif.
VenueLumberjack Arena
RecordsCSUSM (17-4)
CHICO (15-3)
Live StatsSidearm Stats
Live Video ($)CCAA Network
TicketsHometown Ticketing
COVID-19 Policy2021-22 CCAA Universities Spectator Policies

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Jayce McCain

COUGAR OUTLOOK

  • After sitting out the 2020-21 season, CSUSM returns five student-athletes from the 2019-20 season in Jayce McCain, Blake Seits, Alex Gil-Fernandez, Chase Bowsher and Sean Dunn.
  • Nine Cougars will be hitting the court in Cougar blue for the first time, including Division-I transfers Lyle Sutton (Idaho State), Tyrone Nesby IV (Wagner), Joel Mensah (James Madison and San Diego State) and Greg Milton III (Wyoming).
  • Joining the team in 2020-21, redshirt freshmen Ethan Barnella, Jack Schultz and Garrett Hall will finally get the opportunity to suit up for CSUSM this season while true freshmen Max Lonneker and Donovan Watkins joined the roster this season.
  • CSUSM was picked to finished seventh in the 2021-22 CCAA Preseason Coaches Poll.

THE FOSTER FILE

  • Head coach B.J. Foster enters his sixth season in charge of the CSUSM Men's Basketball program after taking over the head position in 2016.
  • Under his leadership, the Cougars advanced to the CCAA Tournament for the first time in 2017-18 after finishing the season with a 15-7 conference record and a 20-9 overall record.
  • Prior to becoming head coach of the Cougars, Foster was an assistant coach with the team from 2013 to 2016.
  • Foster has tallied a career record of 76-58 (.567).