TURLOCK -- As the Warriors bid farewell to six seniors on Friday night, there was still a basketball game to be played. CCAA championship tournament-bound Cal State L.A. pulled away late in the second half to close the regular season with a 93-79 victory over the Warriors.
In a pre-game ceremony, Cal State Stanislaus recognized seniors Scott Behrs, Rick Cardoso, Duane Jones, Richard Maraker, Heath Colvin and Casey Fletcher in their final game donning a Warrior jersey. Saturday, it was all about the seniors, as five of the six scored in double figures, led by Colvin and Maraker with 15 a piece. Jones scored 13 and Cardoso and Behrs scored 10 points each.
Maraker's 15 points all came from 3-pointers, as he went 5 for 5 from beyond the arc, four of which came in the first half. The Warriors shot just 43.1 percent from the field, but still topped Cal State L.A.'s 40.5 percent. The Golden Eagles also attempted 31 free throws to the Warriors' 13.
Cal State L.A. had three players notch double-doubles on Saturday. All three players scored above 20 points, led by Vincent Camper with 27. Camper had 10 rebounds. Christopher Mark scored 25 points and had 19 rebounds, and Junior Rodriguez scored 21 points and grabbed 10 rebounds.
The Warriors led by as many as six in the first half before letting the Golden Eagles come back with a 7-2 run to make the score 19-18 Warriors. The score was tied twice more before Cal State L.A. pulled away to lead 47-41 at halftime.
Cal State Stanislaus came with a lot of energy in the second half and used a 14-4 run to take a 55-53 lead with 16 minutes to play. The teams traded baskets on several possessions, but the Warriors went cold and Cal State L.A. went on a 13-5 run to take the lead for good.
The Warriors finish the 2007-2008 season with a 6-21 overall record and a 5-15 mark in the CCAA. It is the first time the team has had 21 losses in a season since the 1984-1985 campaign when the team went 5-21.
Cal State L.A. improves to 17-10 overall and finishes the conference season with an 11-9 mark. The Golden Eagles will play in the first round of the CCAA championship tournament on Tuesday.