SEASIDE, Calif. — The Cal State Monterey Bay men's basketball young guns got a baptism of fire in Friday night's season opener versus Concordia-Portland. With many of CSUMB's top players sidelined, the Otters started two freshmen and two sophomores and acquitted themselves well for the most part in an 80–73 loss to Concordia–Portland in The Kelp Bed.

Freshman Kevin Warren (Oakland/St. Mary's HS) came off the bench to lead the Otters with 15 points. Fellow freshman Jahvon Johnson (Clovis North HS) added 12 points and three assists.

The Otters also got big games from sophomore post players Gregg Polosky (San Ramon Valley HS) and Julien Ducree (Rancho Cucamonga HS) who each posted double–doubles. Polosky finished with career highs of 14 points and 12 rebounds while Ducree chipped in 10 and 10.
 

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THE GAME WAS STATISTICALLY OVER WHEN… A Michael Brian free throw made it 77–66 Concordia with 33 seconds remaining.

YOUNG GUNS… The Otters got 33 points from their five freshmen who saw action Friday night. The quintet played a total of 91 minutes.

AND THE LITTLE ONES SHALL LEAD THEM… Including to the freshmen quintuplets, 9 of the 11 Otters who saw action Friday night were either freshmen or sophomore. In fact, the Otters will dress only one senior (St. Mary's College transfer Jack Biebel) in 2016–17.

LEADERS OF THE RAFT… POINTS: Kevin Warren 15; REBOUNDS: Gregg Polosky 12, Julien Ducree 10; ASSISTS: Jack Biebel 4; BLOCKS: Julien Ducree 1; STEALS: Jonquis Bouyea, Stephen Matthews 3..

THE LAST WORD… "We're really damn new, plain and simple. The two guys who had double–doubles tonight (Ducree and Polosky) were really the only two guys who saw significant minutes for us last year. Several of them were playing their first college basketball game and it showed tonight. It's going to be a learning curve." – CSUMB Head Coach Rob Bishop

THEY'VE GOT NEXT… The Otters conclude the 2016 CCAA/GNAC Challenge by hosting Central Washington Saturday at 5 p.m. Central Washington one its opener in overtime, 89–84, over Cal State San Bernardino in Friday's first game.