TURLOCK — Finally, the Warriors win a game with a little bit of breathing room. Cal State Stanislaus took command in the second half en route to an easy 68-54 win over San Francisco State Saturday night.
With the win, coupled with a Cal Poly Pomona loss at Cal State L.A., the Warriors are alone at the top of the California Collegiate Athletic Association standings. The defending CCAA conference tournament champions improved to 8-2 in conference play (11-4 overall), one-game ahead of Pomona, Chico State and UC San Diego — all at 7-3.
Chris Read put-up 21 points, tying a season high, and
Rob Walters earned yet another double-double with 17 points and 10 rebounds to lead the Warriors.
Wes Bartole chipped in 14 points with six rebounds as the trio continues to carry the offensive load.
The 14-point win after a lead as large as 18 points inside the 3-minute mark was a welcomed sight for Warrior Nation. The Warriors have been in some close games lately with the six previous games all decided by five points or less. In the first three games of this four-game homestand, Stanislaus won all of them by four points or less with the game in the balance in the final seconds.
San Francisco State took advantage of a sub-par Stanislaus shooting in the first half to lead by as many as six points early. But a Read three-pointer beating the buzzer at intermission carried the momentum for the Warriors into the break and it continued in the second half.
A 7-0 run early in the second half that include four consecutive Walters free throws gave the Warriors an 8-point cushion at 17:32. That spurt was part of a 21-7 Warrior run that stretched the lead to 49-34 at 11:41.
Richie Medina capped the run with a three-pointer that followed Read's trey, one of his five on the night.
After the Gators got within 10 on a Udn Osakue three-pointer at 4:33, the Warriors used another 8-0 charge, highlighted by another Read three-pointer to build the 18-point lead. Read ended up 8 of 15 from the floor and 5 of 8 from the arch to tie his season best with 21 points to go with three assists.
Walters had another big night in the post as he pulled eight defensive rebounds. He also blocked four shots, tying his career high number that he set twice before.
