BOX SCORE Sonoma State 68, UC San Diego 57 -- Box Score

LA JOLLA, Calif. -- Ryan Stanley scored 13 of his season-high 17 points in the second half to lead all scorers on Thursday night, helping the Sonoma State men's basketball team to solidify its spot in the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) Championship Tournament for the fourth time in fifth years with a 68-57 win over UC San Diego at RIMAC Arena in La Jolla. 

Tomorrow night's games will decide if the Seawolves (11-14, 9-12 CCAA) will be the No. 7 seed and play at No. 2 seed Cal State San Bernardino or if they will be the No. 8 seed and play at top-seeded Cal Poly Pomona in the first round of the CCAA tournament on Tuesday.  Should Sonoma State win and UC San Diego lose on Friday night, SSU will be the No. 7 seed and UCSD will be the No. 8 seed, and visa versa.  If the two teams have the same result, it will come down to several tiebreaking scenarios to decide which team will play where.  Stay tuned to sonomaseawolves.com at the conclusion of play on Friday night for more information.

The Seawolves led from start to finish on Thursday, using stifling defense in addition to continuing their league-leading offensive efficiency from the hardwood.  Sonoma, which leads the CCAA with a 48.6 percent shooting clip, went 20 for 43 (46.5 percent) while holding the Tritons to a miniscule 25.4 percent (17-67), a season-low for SSU opponents.  In fact, UC San Diego scored just four points in the first nine minutes of the contest.  Meanwhile, Sonoma State spread the ball around offensively, allowing the visitors to lead by 10 or more points on several occasions before the intermission.  The Seawolves would take their largest lead of the half (32-20) on a pair of free throws by Andrew Bolton at the 1:19 mark.

While the host Tritons got within seven a couple a times soon after halftime, but the Seawolves began to run away, taking their largest lead of the night of 17 points (57-40) with just under eight minutes remaining in regulation.  UC San Diego wouldn't go away, however, as the hosts cut a 17-point deficit down to a five-point deficit with 49 seconds left in the game.  Sonoma State was forced to earn the win at the free throw line from then on, and it did so successfully, outscoring UCSD 8-2 down the stretch for the 11-point win.

Stanley, who scored just four points in the opening frame, broke out to connect on 5 of 6 shots, including one three-ball in the final 20 minutes to pace Sonoma State.  He also grabbed a team-high nine rebounds.  Patrick Scott also enjoyed a double-digit scoring night, netting 10 of his 16 points from the free throw line.  Justin Herold came off the bench to drop in 11 points in 14 minutes of play.

Meanwhile, James McCann led the Tritons with 15 points, eight of which came from the charity stripe.  Tyler McGrath had 13, followed by Justin Brue with a double-double (11 points and 11 rebounds).  UC San Diego connected on just 17 of their 67 attempts, including a miserable 3 for 20 effort from beyond the three-point arc.

Sonoma State will wrap up the regular season on Friday when it travels to Cal State San Bernardino for a 7:30 p.m. tip off from Coussoulis Arena.