SEASIDE, Calif. -- David Ahern scored a career-high 25 points in 35 minutes off the bench and three others scored in double-figures as the Sonoma State men's basketball team overcame a 10-point halftime deficit to pull out a thrilling 82-74 overtime victory against Cal State Monterey Bay on Saturday night at the Kelp Ben in Seaside.
The Seawolves (11-9, 8-8 CCAA) have moved to within one game of sixth place in the CCAA standings with six regular season contests remaining, including the next four at home. The Otters fell to 10-12 overall and 6-10 in conference play.
Sonoma got off to a slow start, connecting on just five of 22 shot attempts in the first half, a 22.7 percent efficiency. Meanwhile, CSU Monterey Bay torched the nets at a 50 percent clip, hitting 12 of 24 shots to take a 36-26 lead into the intermission.
The Seawolves found their rhythm in the second half, however, and eventually turned a 10-point deficit into a six-point lead at 59-53 with 6:31 to play in regulation. The Otters battled back, and with seven seconds remaining, scored the tying basket that would later send the game into overtime.
In the extra period,
JJ Mina took matters into his own hands and scored nine of SSU's 18 points and the Seawolves went 11 for 12 from the free throw line to complete the comeback victory on the road. In fact, Sonoma State went 34 for 45 from the charity stripe in the ballgame, converting the most free throws since the team hit 35 exactly five years and one day ago in a 78-75 win over San Francisco State (Feb. 6, 2010).
After the 22.7 percent output from the floor in the first 20 minutes, SSU came out after halftime and went 16 for 30 (53.3 percent) in field goals and 20 for 25 (80.0 percent) in free throws to push the team past CSUMB, who shot 37.9 percent in the second half (including an 0 for 10 effort from long range) and just 28.6 percent in overtime.
Ahern scored 11 of his game- and career-high 25 points from the free throw line.
Zen Maki also dropped in a career-high in points on Saturday with 13, matching
Mike Harris' point total for the night. Mina, who scored nine of his 11 points of the night in OT, grabbed a career-high 15 rebounds in the victory.
James Davis, the CCAA's fourth-best scorer, was held to just two points in nine minutes of action.
Four Cal State Monterey Bay players scored in double-figures as well, led by the 14 out of the hands of Marquise Washington..
Sonoma State will return home to host second-place Cal Poly Pomona on Friday at 7:30 pm in The Wolves' Den, the first of a four-game homestand for the Seawolves.
