SEASIDE --- Cal State Monterey Bay erased a 10-point deficit late in the game to defeat the second-ranked team in the West Region, CSU San Bernardino, 73-71 Saturday night at the Otter Sports Center.
#Augie Johnston# scored 23 points, the last two from the free throw line with eight seconds left in the game to put the Otters ahead for good. He hit six of his 10 three-point shots. “Guys were finding me when I was open and I was getting some really good picks,” said Johnston.
The victory is the Otters' fourth in a row and CSUMB is now 6-12 overall and 5-7 in the California Collegiate Athletic Association. The victory was one of the biggest in the program's history as CSU San Bernardino is 16-4 and 9-3, and was ranked 13th in the nation in Div. II basketball.
“This was huge for us,” said head coach Pat Kosta. “We defended our home court against one of the best teams in the nation. This raises the bar for our expectations --- and to be quite honest, we didn't even play that well, but we found a way to win.”
The Otters shot just 42.6 percent from the floor compared to the Coyotes' 52.2 percent. The Coyotes also hit 62.5 percent of their three-point attempts and outrebounded CSUMB 27-24, but failed to lead on the scoreboard. CSUSB connected on just 13 of 23 free throws, while the Otters made 15 of 18.
Kosta said his team just worked harder. The Coyotes are a much bigger team, boasting seven players that are 6' 6” or taller, but CSUMB's 6' 4” #Joe Mitchell#, with 13 rebounds, had more than twice as many as any of them. And Kosta said the whole team played together well, especially on defense.
“#Jose Sanchez# stands out as the best team player tonight,” said Kosta. “His leadership on and off the court is the reason we won.” Sanchez (4-7 from the field, 2-3 from outside) scored 10 points.
The Otters trailed 56-66 with nine minutes left in the game, but managed to tie it up at 69 with 2:22 left. They took a 71-69 lead on a circus shot by #Steve Monreal#, who knocked down a runner on the right baseline from behind the backboard. Monreal had earlier erased a chunk of the 10-point deficit at the 4:39 mark when he made a four-point play. Monreal finished with 15 points.
After the Coyotes' Michael Earl hit a layup to tie the score at 71 with 14 seconds left, Johnston took the inbounds pass and sprinted down court and fouled going to the basket. He sank both free throws for the final 73-71 score. CSUSB still had time for Marlon Pierce to get a good look at a three-pointer just before the buzzer, but the ball bounced off the rim and Mitchell secured the rebound for the win.
“This was the biggest win we've had since I've been here,” said Johnston. “We are just playing more together and D'Shon Cannon has really stepped up his game --- both offensively and defensively.” Cannon, the Otters' point guard, scored nine points and made four assists. Earl led CSUSB in scoring with 20 and Pierce put in 15.
The Otters' next game is at home on Friday against CSU Stanislaus. The game tips off at 7:30 p.m.
Official Basketball Box Score
Official Basketball Box Score
CSU San Bernardino vs CSU Monterey Bay
02/02/08 7:30pm at Seaside, CA [Otter Sports Center]
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VISITORS: CSU San Bernardino 16-4, 9-3 CCAA
TOT-FG 3-PT REBOUNDS
## Player Name FG-FGA FG-FGA FT-FTA OF DE TOT PF TP A TO BLK S MIN
01 GILZENE, Jason...... * 1-3 0-0 1-2 2 3 5 0 3 0 2 1 0 26
03 PIERCE, Marlon...... * 4-11 4-6 3-4 0 3 3 1 15 5 3 0 0 35
04 JONES, Philip....... * 1-2 0-0 0-0 0 2 2 3 2 1 2 0 0 22
05 ORTIZ, Lance........ * 2-7 2-5 0-0 0 3 3 4 6 4 1 0 1 21
32 EARL, Michael....... * 8-9 0-0 4-9 0 4 4 3 20 0 1 3 0 29
02 BROWN, Reggie....... 3-4 2-3 4-4 0 1 1 2 12 1 2 0 1 17
13 GASTON, Steve....... 2-2 1-1 0-0 1 0 1 2 5 0 1 0 0 7
23 BASS, Renardo....... 1-2 1-1 0-0 0 3 3 1 3 1 1 0 1 21
30 REICHEL, David...... 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 2
44 DAVIS,Devon......... 2-5 0-0 0-2 0 2 2 2 4 1 1 0 0 11
50 TILLMAN, Joseph..... 0-1 0-0 1-2 1 2 3 0 1 0 0 0 0 7
TEAM................
Totals.............. 24-46 10-16 13-23 4 23 27 19 71 13 14 4 3 198
TOTAL FG% 1st Half: 13-22 59.1% 2nd Half: 11-24 45.8% Game: 52.2% DEADB
3-Pt. FG% 1st Half: 4-7 57.1% 2nd Half: 6-9 66.7% Game: 62.5% REBS
F Throw % 1st Half: 5-9 55.6% 2nd Half: 8-14 57.1% Game: 56.5% 8,1
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HOME TEAM: CSU Monterey Bay 6-12, 5-7 CCAA
TOT-FG 3-PT REBOUNDS
## Player Name FG-FGA FG-FGA FT-FTA OF DE TOT PF TP A TO BLK S MIN
10 CANNON, D'Shon...... * 4-9 1-1 0-0 0 3 3 2 9 4 4 0 1 37
23 KERNODLE, Jacob..... * 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 1 1 5 0 0 0 0 0 9
31 SANCHEZ, Jose....... * 4-7 2-3 0-0 0 1 1 0 10 1 0 0 0 26
32 JOHNSTON, Augie..... * 6-14 6-10 5-6 1 1 2 4 23 1 1 0 1 32
33 MITCHELL, Joe....... * 2-4 0-1 3-4 4 9 13 3 7 0 2 0 1 30
05 WILLIS, Juston...... 1-6 0-3 4-4 1 3 4 3 6 3 1 0 2 27
11 BECKER, Stephen..... 1-3 1-3 0-0 0 0 0 0 3 0 2 0 0 13
21 MONREAL, Steve...... 5-11 2-4 3-4 0 0 0 2 15 3 1 0 0 26
TEAM................
Totals.............. 23-54 12-25 15-18 6 18 24 19 73 12 11 0 5 200
TOTAL FG% 1st Half: 11-27 40.7% 2nd Half: 12-27 44.4% Game: 42.6% DEADB
3-Pt. FG% 1st Half: 7-15 46.7% 2nd Half: 5-10 50.0% Game: 48.0% REBS
F Throw % 1st Half: 4-6 66.7% 2nd Half: 11-12 91.7% Game: 83.3% 4,1
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Officials: Dennis Flannery Jr., Ruben Candelaria, Zac Ward
Technical fouls: CSU San Bernardino-None. CSU Monterey Bay-None.
Attendance: 375
Score by Periods 1st 2nd Total
CSU San Bernardino............ 35 36 - 71
CSU Monterey Bay.............. 33 40 - 73
