Box Score: Sonoma State 69, Cal State L.A. 61
LOS ANGELES-
Ben Washington scored a career-high 25 points on 9 of 12 shooting and
Steven Pratt sealed the victory with four free throws down the stretch, giving Sonoma State a huge 69-61 upset victory over host Cal State L.A. on Saturday night at the Eagles Nest in Los Angeles. The win by the Seawolves (6-10, 4-8 CCAA) snaps a four-game losing streak, while the Golden Eagles fall to 11-5 overall and 7-5 in conference play.
The Golden Eagles jumped all over the Seawolves early, enjoying their home court advantage to a large 12-2 lead just five minutes into the contest. The ten point advantage turned out to be CSULA's largest lead all night. That said, Sonoma State climbed back into the game and came to within one point on two occasions -- a 21-20 deficit at the 9:10 mark and a 30-29 disadvantage at the 3:55 mark.
With 3:55 left on the clock, Cal State L.A. went on a 8-2 run to lead by seven points, but Pratt drained a three-pointer at the buzzer, helping Sonoma State trail by just four at halftime, 38-34. Washingon scored 13 of his 22 points in the opening half, hitting 5 of 7 shots and a perfect 3 for 3 from the free throw line. He was instrumental in leading SSU to a 46.7 percent clip from the floor, as the Seawolves hit 11 of 24 from the field, including 3 of 6 from three-point range.
With the hot hands of Sonoma State keeping Cal State L.A. close for the majority of the half, the hosts converted on just 37.3 of its shots, albeit the Golden Eagles attempted eight more shots and rolled into the intermission hitting 15 of 32 attempts.
In the second half, CSULA again raced out to a seven point lead (44-37), but SSU quickly erased the margin and dropped in seven unanswered points to knot the score at 44. A jumper by the Golden Eagles' Chris Robinson briefly put the Seawolves down two, but Washington hit a three to take a 47-46 lead and Sonoma State wouldn't trail again the rest of the ball game.
Cal State L.A. would eventually tie the game three more times in the final 12 minutes of the game, but could never get over the hump. The final tie came at the 6:12 mark of the second half on a layup by David Norris, which tied the score at 52-52, but Pratt hit a three-pointer to give Sonoma State the lead for good.
The Seawolves would grab their largest lead of the game at eight points (60-52) after an and-one play by Washington. However, the Golden Eagles closed the gap to three (63-60) with just over two minutes left in regulation with the help of some full court pressure and timely turnovers, but Sonoma State, hungry for its first win in five games, scored six of the game's final seven points to seal the victory.
Pratt scored 14 for the Seawolves and grabbed a team-high seven rebounds.
James Sandoval also scored in double-figures, chipping in with 10. Sonoma State's hot shooting remained in the second half, as the visitors hit 46.7 percent of their shots (21-45). They also held CSULA to just 37.3 percent from the floor. It was the first time in 11 games this season that Sonoma State won after trailing at halftime.
For Cal State L.A., Franklin Session recorded a double-double with 21 points and 11 rebounds. David Norris (17) and Chris Robinson (11) also scored in double-figures. The Golden Eagles outrebounded the Seawolves on the glass, 40-28.
Sonoma State will return home for a four-game homestand, starting with a Thursday matchup against UC San Diego at The Wolves' Den in Rohnert Park. Tipoff is set for 7:30 p.m.
