TURLOCK -- An unusual hot night for Cal State Monterey Bay from the 3-point line Friday night put the Otters far enough ahead to hold off a late comeback attempt by the Warriors, as CSUMB won a high-scoring affair, 99-88, at Warrior Arena.
Down by 20 with 4 minutes, 19 seconds left in the game, the Warriors went on a 19-5 run to cut the lead to six with just 44 seconds to play. Cal State Monterey Bay made five of their last six free throws in the final 30 seconds while the Warriors went 0-for-5 from the field with two turnovers and a technical foul, allowing the Otters hold off the Warriors' charge and come away with the win.
The Otters entered the game as the worst 3-point shooting team in the California Collegiate Athletic Association, only making 25.7 percent of their attempts in CCAA games this season. Friday night the Otters shot 47.1 percent from downtown, including a 5-for-10 mark in the first half that saw three-straight attempts go down in a three minute stretch. The Otters' last 3-pointer of the half put them up by 19, and they would push that lead to 21 before halftime, going into the break with a 53-33 advantage.
The loss drops the Warriors' record to 5-11 overall and 1-10 in the CCAA. Cal State Monterey Bay improves to 6-5 in the CCAA and 12-6 overall. The Otters sweep the season series from Cal State Stanislaus for the first time since joining the CCAA in 2004-05. The Warriors have now lost four straight.
It was
Benny Koochoie who led the Warriors in scoring for the fifth time this season with a career-high 27 points. He was 10-for-17 from the field with three 3-pointers before fouling out late in the second half.
Matt Ibewiro had his ninth double-digit scoring game of the season with 12 points and freshman
Brandon Curtis added 11 off the bench.
The Otters had four players score in double figures, led by Jose Sanches with 18. The Otters' leading scorer coming into the game, Steve Monreal, was held to just eight points, six of them from the free-throw line and four of those in the final 30 seconds of the game. The Otters' Joe Mitchell led all players with 11 rebounds.
The 88 points for the Warriors is the most they have scored in a CCAA game this season and the most they have scored as a team since homecoming on Nov. 20, 2008, when they scored 95 points against NAIA member William Jessup. The Otters' 99 points are the most the Warriors have allowed all season.
The Warriors will continue their four-game homestand at 7:30 p.m. Saturday when they host San Francisco State. The Gators won the two teams' first meeting in December, 70-67, in San Francisco.
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