GAME #16
CSUMB (11-4) vs. Cal Poly Pomona (8-5)
Friday, Jan. 23, 2008 at 7:30 p.m.
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GAME #17
CSUMB (11-4)  vs. CSU San Bernardino (8-6)
Saturday, Jan. 24, 2008 at 7:30 p.m.
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Game Notes



OPENING TIP:
After suffering its first home loss of the year, CSUMB attempts to get back in the win column on Friday night at Cal Poly Pomona. Saturday's game against the Cal State San Bernardino Coyotes will be the Otters sixth game on the road for the month of January.

LOOKING AHEAD:
CSUMB plays its last weekend of January on the road, traveling to Cal State Stanislaus and Chico State on Jan 30 and 31.

SCOUTING THE BRONCOS:
Picked to finish third in the preseason CCAA poll, Cal Poly Pomona (8-5, 4-4 CCAA) is entering Friday's game coming off a 77-76 overtime victory against Sonoma State on Saturday, Jan 17.  The Broncos are ranked 9th in the national statistics in scoring defense, holding their opponents to an average of 60.3 points. Players to watch: Walter Thompson (13.3 ppg, 93.1 percent from the foul line), Larry Gordon (13.2 ppg, 10.1 rpg, 18 steals).

SCOUTING THE COYOTES:
Cal State San Bernardino (7-7, 5-3 CCAA), the conference preseason favorite, handed Humboldt State its first home conference lost (92-80) on Saturday, Jan 17, at the Lumberjack Arena. The Jacks are 9th in the nation in three-point shooting with a 41.6 percentage, and they are averaging 9.3 from beyond the arc for an 11th national ranking. Player to watch: Brandon Brown (18.1 ppg, 9.5 rpg, 16 blocks), Devin Montgomery (13.8 ppg, 31 assists), Tim Denson (10.6 ppg, 20 steals).

OTTERS BREAK INTO NATIONAL STATISTICS:
CSUMB finds itself ranked 100th in scoring (76.1 per game), 62nd in the nation in free throw percentage (71.8) and 104th in rebound margin (+3.1). Individually, senior #Steve Monreal# is in the national top 100 of two categories: free throw percentage with 72-for-82 in 15 games (87.8, 21st) and assists per game (4.4, 71st).  Senior #Joe Mitchell# is ranked 38th after averaging 8.9 rebounds per game.

AGAINST SAN FRANCISCO STATE.:
The Cal State Monterey Bay men's basketball team extended their eight-game home winning streak with a 73-72 victory over the San Francisco State Gators on Thursday, Jan 15, at the Otter Sports Center. Senior #Steve Monreal# scored a game-high 23 points, his fifth 20-plus night of the season.  Senior #Jose Sanchez# added 10 points.   In his first appearance in front of the home crowd, junior #Sean Jergo# added nine points, finishing 4-for-4 from the field and connecting on his only free throw chance.  Senior #Joe Mitchell# pulled down a game-high seven rebounds.

AGAINST UC SAN DIEGO:
The Cal State Monterey Bay men's basketball team saw its eight-game home winning streak come to an end, falling to UC San Diego, 71-61, on Friday, Jan 16, at the Otter Sports Center. Junior #Sean Jergo# led the Otters with 14 points, 8-for-9 at the charity stripe.  Seniors #Joe Mitchell# and #Jose Sanchez# both added nine points apiece.  Mitchell had a team-high ten rebounds.

POST GAME COMMENTS BY BISHOP:
Against San Francisco State - “My hat goes off to San Francisco State tonight, for they are a good team. We knew we were in for a fight tonight, and we were able to once again get some big rebounds and timely shots down the stretch.”

Against UC San Diego - “Hats off to UC San Diego. They were ready to go and we weren't. Now we need to get ready to go back on the road again.”

MITCHELL NAMED WILSON/CCAA PLAYER OF THE WEEK:
#Joe Mitchell#, a 6-foot-4 senior from Oakland, Calif. averaged 15.0 points, 12.0 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 1.5 blocks and connected on 52.9 percent of his field goal attempts as the Otters split a pair of road games at Cal State L.A. and Cal State Dominguez Hills. During an 80-70 loss at Cal State L.A., Mitchell scored 17 points and totaled a career-high 19 rebounds for his fifth double-double of the season. He followed that effort with 13 rebounds and five rebounds during a 76-72 win over Cal State Dominguez Hills that helped keep the Otters within a game of first place in the CCAA.A four-year player for the Otters, this is Mitchell's first time being named Wilson CCAA Player of the Week.  

MAKING IT REAL:
Senior #Steve Monreal# has emerged as CSUMB's top scoring threat, averaging 16.5 points per game.  He is shooting 37.2 percent overall but has been even more impressive at the free throw line, making 72-for-82 (87.8 percent) from the charity stripe.  Monreal followed a 28-point outing against Alaska Fairbanks in the season opener with a 23-point effort against Academy of Art, representing the first time in his career at CSUMB he reached the 20-point plateau in back-to-back games.

RECORD WATCH:
Senior #Joe Mitchell# is 164 points away from the 1000 career point milestone.  With 836 points thus far, Mitchell needs to average 13.6 points in the last 12 games.  Mitchell averaged 12.9 points per game in 2007-08 season and is currently averaging 11.5 ppg. 

HOME SWEET HOME:
The Otters opened the 2008-09 season undefeated at home with eight victories, the best start in school team history. 

BATTLE AT THE FREE THROW LINE:
The Otters, ranked 3rd in the conference in free throw percentage, take on the teams holding the top two spots this weekend. Cal State San Bernardino and Cal Poly Pomona are both shooting 72.7 percent at the charity stripe.  CSUMB's Tim Denson is 63rd in the nation with an 83.6 (46-for-55). 

CCAA LEADERS:
(Overall statistics as of 01/20/2009)

#Steve Monreal# - 3rd in points (16.5 per game); 3rd free throw percentage (87.8 percent), 2nd in assists (4.4 per game); 4th in steals (1.8 per game), 6th in 3-point field goals made (29).

#Joe Mitchell# - 1st in total rebounds (134), 2nd in rebounding (8.9 per game); 1st in offensive rebounds (3.0 per game), 3rd in defensive boards (5.9 per game), 6th in field goal percentage (53.8 percent), 7th in block shots (0.7 per game), 17th in points (11.5 per game).

#Dante Green# - 3rd in field goal percentage (54.9 percent), 7th in rebounding (5.9 per game); 12th in offensive boards (2.0 per game); 9th in defensive boards (3.9 per game).

#Keith Wilson# - 13th in field goal percentage (50.5 percent).

#Jose Sanchez# - 25th in points (9.6 per game).