GAME #12
CSUMB Otters (9-2)  vs. Cal State L.A. (6-5)
Friday, Jan. 9, 2008 at 7:30 p.m.
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GAME #13
CSUMB Otters (9-2)  vs. CSU Dominguez Hills (9-2)
Saturday, Jan. 10, 2008 at 7:30 p.m.
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Game Notes



OPENING TIPS:
After suffering its first CCAA loss of the year, CSUMB (9-2, 3-1 CCAA) attempts to get back into the win column on Friday night as the Otters visit Cal State L.A. at the Eagles Nest.  On Saturday, the Otters compete against Cal State Dominguez Hills at the Torodome.  

LOOKING AHEAD:
The Otters hosts their only two games at home for the month of January, welcoming San Francisco State and UC San Diego on Thursday, Jan 15 and Friday, Jan 16. 

SCOUTING THE GOLDEN EAGLES:
Cal State L.A. (6-5, 1-3 CCAA) saw its five-game winning streak come to an end on Friday, dropping a 68-64 decision at UC San Diego. Their lone CCAA victory, 89-80, came against Cal State Dominguez Hills on New Years Eve Players to watch: Chris Fields (17.6 ppg, 22-64 three-pointers), Christofer Hart (11.7 ppg, 33 assists, 14 steals), Chris Mark (11.3 ppg, 7.7 rpg).

SCOUTING THE TOROS:
Cal State Dominguez Hills pulled off a 63-51 victory over the Tritons of UC San Diego, who was previously undfeated in CCAA conference action, on Saturday, Jan 3. With the victory, the Toros are now in a five-way tie for first place (3-1) in the CCAA which includes the Otters. Players to watch: Jerrell Smith (12.3 ppg, 5.0 rpg, 13 blocks, 50.0 percent from the field), Michael Hernandez (11.0 ppg, 43-52 free throws, 48 assists).

OTTERS BREAK INTO NATIONAL STATISTICS:
CSUMB finds itself ranked 81st in scoring (78.3 per game), 85th in the nation in free throw percentage (70.8)  and 88th in rebound margin (+4.2). Individually, senior #Steve Monreal# is in the national top 100 of three categories: free throw percentage with 56-for-63 in eight games (88.9, 15th), assists per game (5.5, 29th) and points per game (17.2, 100th).  Senior #Joe Mitchell# is ranked 69th after averaging 8.5 rebounds per game.

AGAINST SONOMA STATE:
The Cal State Monterey Bay men's basketball team remains undefeated in California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) conference play, pulling off a 65-61 victory over Sonoma State University on Friday, Jan 2 at the Seawolf Gym. Senior #Steve Monreal# led the Otters with 20 points, his fourth 20-plus game, and five assists.  Senior #Joe Mitchell# registered a season-high 18 points and senior #Jose Sanchez# added 10 points.

AGAINST HUMBOLDT STATE:
The Cal State Monterey Bay men's basketball team were handed its first California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) conference loss of the season, falling 77-71 to Humboldt State on Saturday, Jan. 3. Senior #Joe Mitchell# registered a double-double with 17 points and 11 rebounds. Junior #Keith Wilson# added 17 points off the bench.  The Otters only committed 11 turnovers, tying a season-low while forcing 16 turnovers.  HSU shot 52.1 percent from the floor and 63.2 percent from beyond the three-point line. CSUMB registered 40.6 percent from the field and 24.0 percent from the arc.

POST GAME COMMENTS BY BISHOP:
Against Sonoma State - “It was a big win for us to start off a long road swing. We were not flashy tonight but we got stops when we needed to and made free throws when it counted. Now we have another tough task ahead of us tomorrow night at Humboldt State.”

Against Humboldt State - “Tonight is a great example of how hard it is to win games in this league on the road. I give Humboldt a ton of credit, they came out and played harder than us in the second half. I give our guys credit though for they battled back to give themselves a chance.”

MAKING IT REAL:
Senior #Steve Monreal# has emerged as CSUMB's top scoring threat, averaging 17.2 points per game in his first four starts.  He is shooting 38.9 percent overall but has been even more impressive at the free throw line, making 56-for-65 (88.9 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 210 points away from the 1000 career point milestone.  With 790 points thus far, Mitchell needs to average 13.1 points in the last 16 games.  Mitchell averaged 12.9 points per game in 2007-08 season and is currently averaging 11.5 ppg. 

LOOKING BACK:
Cal State Monterey Bay wrapped up last year on a high, winning 10 of their last 11 regular season conference games, ending the CCAA season with an 11-9 record. The Otters finished the season 12-15, tying the school record for most NCAA Division II victories in a season. Last season, CSUMB shooters from behind the arc were ranked 13th in the nation in three-point field-goal percentage (40.4).

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

BALANCED OFFENSE:
The Otters have four players averaging double digits in scoring with senior #Steve Monreal# leading the pack with 17.2 points per game. Senior #Joe Mitchell# raised his average to  11.5 per game after posting 18 and 17 points in the last two game. Junior #Keith Wilson# is registering 10.6 per game and junior #Dante Green# is coming off the bench to add 10.0 per game.

SFSU INVITATIONAL HONORS:
Senior #Steve Monreal# was selected to the 2008 San Francisco State Invitational All-Tournament Team after averaging 19.5 points and 7.0 assists. Joining Monreal on the team is Tyler Gottstein Tournament MVP (UCI); Eric Beal (UCI); Robert Hayes (SFSU); Phil Friesen (UCI). 

CCAA LEADERS:
#Steve Monreal# - 3rd in points (17.2 per game); 1st free throw percentage (88.9 percent), 1st in assists (5.5 per game); 4th in steals (1.9 per game), 7th (tied) in 3-point field goals made (1.9 per game).

#Joe Mitchell# - 1st (tied) in total rebounds (93), 3rd (tied) in rebounding (8.5 per game); 2nd in offensive rebounds (2.9 per game), 4th in defensive boards (5.5 per game), 8th in field goal percentage (53.3 percent), 9th (tied) in block shots (0.6 per game), 15th in points (11.5 per game).

#Dante Green# - 2nd in field goal percentage (57.9 percent), 16th (tied) in points (11.7 per game), 7th in rebounding (6.6 per game); 10th (tied) in offensive boards (2.1 per game); 8th in defensive boards (4.5 per game).

#Keith Wilson# - 3rd in field goal percentage (56.1 percent), 21st in points (10.6 per game).