SAN MARCOS, Calif. – The RV/No. 22 Cal State San Marcos men’s basketball team (7-0, 3-0 CCAA) concluded a seven-game homestand and kept its perfect record intact with an 84-82 win over Cal State East Bay (3-6, 1-2 CCAA) on Saturday afternoon at The Sports Center.
TOP PERFORMERS
Jayce McCain – 30 points | 8 assists | 4 rebounds | 10-of-10 FT | 4-of-5 3FG
Blake Seits – 18 points | 6 rebounds | 6-of-9 FG | 4-of-4 3FG
Tyrone Nesby IV – 11 points | 4 rebounds | 2 blocked shots
Greg Milton III – 8 points | 4 rebounds
Alex Gil-Fernandez – 9 points | 4 assists
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Cougars took their largest lead of the first half on a Watkins 3-pointer that made it 21-16 with 10:38 on the clock.
CSUEB’s DJ Sanders made the backend of his two free throws to even the score at 34-all at the halftime break.
CSUSM led for 10:27 of the opening 20 minutes while the Pioneers were on top for 5:57.
In the first half, East Bay shot 48.3% (14-of-29) from the field to CSUSM’s 37.9% (11-of-29). The Cougars were able to stay in the game with an 8-of-8 performance from the charity stripe.
The first 20 minutes included nine lead changes and six ties.
Twenty of the Pioneers’ 34 points in the first half came in the paint.
After stripping the ball away from East Bay, Milton went the length of the court for a layup to put CSUSM up 44-42 with 15:42 remaining in the game.
The Cougars went on a 10-3 run capped by a McCain 3-pointer to go up 54-45 with 13:24 on the clock.
A Seit’s 3-pointer from the top of the circle at the 8:35 mark gave CSUSM a double-digit lead (64-53) over the Pioneers.
The Cougars took their largest lead of the game on 3-pointer by Gil Fernandez that made it 77-65 with 3:42 to go.
An East Bay jumper by Zafir Williams made it a 77-71 game with two minutes remaining.
With 4.2 seconds remaining, Pioneers’ Justin Vigil sunk a 3-pointer from top of the circle to cut CSUSM’s lead to 84-82.
After Nesby missed a one-and-one free throw with four seconds remaining, East Bay’s Zack Perlstein put up a last-second 3-pointer that clanked off the rim and secured the win for CSUSM.
FAST BREAKS
CSUSM continued its best start in the NCAA Division II era at 7-0.
The Cougars’ seven consecutive home wins are a new team record as a Division II member.
This is the first time CSUSM has ever started CCAA play at 3-0.
McCain’s 30 points were a career best, passing his previous high of 22 points that he had achieved three previous times. His total was also the highest by a Cougar this season.
McCain’s eight assists tied a career high and were the most by a Cougar this season. He now has the seventh-most assists in program history with 122.
Going 10-of-10 from the free throw line, McCain is now a perfect 18-of-18 this season.
Only 24 of CSUSM’s 84 points came in the paint.
The Cougars were held to a season-low 27 rebounds.
CSUSM ended the game shooting 46.2% (30-of-65) from the field while CSUEB led the way at 53.4% (31-of-58).
Shooting 47.8% (11-of-23) from three, CSUSM posted a season best from beyond the arc.
The Cougars led for 26:25 while the Pioneers clocked in at 9:08.
Head Coach BJ Foster recaps the Cougars’ seventh consecutive victory, an 84-82 win over Cal State East Bay. #BleedBlue pic.twitter.com/toT89UCF2t
CSUSM Men’s Basketball (@CSUSM_MBB) December 5, 2021
UP NEXT
With its final home game of the calendar year in the books, CSUSM will finally hit the road to face Cal State Monterey Bay on Thursday at 7:30 p.m. in Seaside.
