Senior guard Brandon Ward became just the fourth Otter to surpass 1,000 career points thanks to his game-high 21-point effort in Saturday's win over Humboldt State..
BOX SCORE
SEASIDE, Calif. — Some teams work to get the monkey off their backs. The Cal State Monterey Bay men's basketball team used 40 minutes of solid effort to get Humboldt off its collective back Saturday night with a 70-61 win over visiting Humboldt State in The Kelp Bed.
The win was the first in 18 tries for CSUMB (7-8, 3-5 CCAA) versus the Lumberjacks in a series that dates back to 1998. Humboldt State dropped to 5-7 and 1-7 with the loss.
“We came ready to play. It was a great team effort,” said CSUMB Head Coach
Rob Bishop. “We made some smart plays defensively tonight. We're starting to figure it out.”
Senior guard
Brandon Ward (Riverside/Woodcrest HS) etched his name in the CSUMB record book with a flourish, becoming just the fourth player in Otter history to score 1,000 career points (1,017) by pouring in a game-high 21 points. He scored 17 in the first half before missing much of the second half in foul trouble.
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Brandon Cole (Vallejo/Napa Valley College) three-pointer on the first CSUMB possession gave the Otters a lead they wouldn't relinquish. His trey was part of a 26-6 game-opening run that had Otter fans thinking their first win over Humboldt State would be a laugher.
But the Lumberjacks whittled away at the lead, eventually closing to within six points before a
Kevin Loustale (Chico/Shasta College) layup gave CSUMB a 37-29 lead at the break.
The Otters quickly pushed their lead back into double digits shortly after the restart and kept it in the 10 to 14 point range until Humboldt made a late run. The Jacks had closed to within six, 65-59, on a pair of Austin Bryan free throws with 2:33 to play when the Otters came through with the biggest possession of the game.
With Ward displaying deft ball-handling skills, the Otters milked the shot clock until Ward found Cole in the corner for the buzzer-beating three that got the lead back to nine points. Bryan and Ward traded free throws to account for the final points for each side.
In addition to Ward, CSUMB got 10 points and seven rebounds from Loustale. Junior forward
Kris Gallop (Vallejo/Los Medanos College) added a game-high eight rebounds to help the Otters win the battle of the boards, 43-36.
Bryan led Humboldt State with 18 points, including an 11-of-12 effort from the free-throw line.
CSUMB continues its four-game homestand Friday night when it host UC San Diego in The Kelp Bed. Tipoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. as the second game of men's/women's doubleheader action.
GO OTTERS!
