BOX SCORE San Francisco State 72, Sonoma State 70 -- Box Score

ROHNERT PARK -- Justin Herold came off the bench to score a team-high 17 points and corral 10 rebounds, but the Sonoma State men's basketball team, who trailed by as much as 18 points with 11 minutes to play in the second half, rallied to within one point and had possession of the ball with seconds ticking away, but a potential go-ahead five-foot jumper by Herold would hit off the back iron and fall into the hands of a San Francisco State rebounder, helping the Gators hold off the Seawolves, 72-70, on Wednesday night at The Wolves' Den.

Sonoma's three-game win streak was snapped in the loss, falling to 3-2 overall and 2-1 in the CCAA.  SF State moved above .500, improving to 4-3 this season with a 2-1 mark in conference action.

Led by the play of guard Calvin Otiono, San Francisco State came out firing on all cylinders in the opening half, draining 16 of 28 shots for a blazing 57.1 percent, including a lights-out 10 of 19 from three-point range.  Otiono scored 12 of his game-high 22 points in the opening half while Andre Jones added 10 points.

The reigning CCAA Player of the Week, Patrick Scott, netted eight points for the Seawolves in the first 20 minutes and, as a team, SSU drained five three-pointers, matching SFSU's output from long range in the opening period, but Sonoma couldn't take advantage of the free points at the charity stripe, connecting on just 4 of 11 free throw attempts after the Gators were whistled for 10 of the 13 fouls by either team before the intermission.

Up by nine points at the half (38-29), San Francisco State began to put the pedal to the metal, extending its lead to the largest of the night at 18 (62-44) with 11:36 remaining in the contest.  However, Sonoma State began its rally, going on a 16-2 run over the next six minutes of play to pull within four points at 64-60 with 5:57 on the clock.

The Gator lead would eventually diminish to just one point at the 4:11 mark when Scott converted an and-one play to put the Seawolves down 67-66.  The Gators' Otiono and William Overton, Jr. drained a pair of shots on consecutive possessions to take a five-point lead, but a made jumper by Emmanuel Bradford and a dunk by Herold got Sonoma to within one point at 71-70 with 1:18 left.

Both teams would trade possessions down the stretch, but neither would find the hoop and several missed free throws by SF State in the final minute (three to be exact) would keep Sonoma in the game.  The third missed free throw during that span was a miss on the front end of a 1-and-1 by Otiono, allowing SSU to grab the rebound and set up for a potential go-ahead possession with 13 seconds left. 

Out of the timeout, the Seawolves came up the floor and with four seconds left, Herold found himself five feet from the left side of the rim, but his shot would hit the back of the iron and fall into the hands of SFSU's Overton, Jr., who was them immediately fouled with 1.0 seconds on the game clock.  He would hit the first of two free throws, but the second would bang off the rim and with less than a second left, Herold was forced to heave a full-court prayer at the buzzer, but the attempt hit the top of the backboard as time expired, sealing the win for the Gators.

Sonoma State ended the game on 27 of 56 shooting from the floor (48.2 percent), after going 17 of 31 in the final 20 minutes of the ballgame -- the Seawolves also went 8 of 15 from beyond the three-point arc.  Herold led SSU with 17 points, followed by 13 from Will Olsem, 12 from Scott and 10 from Bradford.  Michael Avery came off the bench and had five points, five assists and three rebounds in 17 minutes of action.

San Francisco State finished the game with a 51.9 percent clip from the hardwood on 28 of 54, including a 10 of 19 effort from long range.  Otiono led all players with 22 points, while Jones and Overton, Jr. chipped in with 13 apiece.  Brandon Tatum and Decensae White also netted double-figures for the Gators, dropping in 11 and 10 points, respectively.

Sonoma State and San Francisco State will meet again in three days when the two teams will face each other at The Swamp in San Francisco on Saturday.  Tip off is set for 4:00 p.m.