ROHNERT PARK, CALIF. - On Saturday, November 26th, the Sonoma State men's basketball team returned to the Wolves' Den and played host in the 2022 Seawolves Thanksgiving Classic. Sonoma State would welcome PacWest members Holy Names and Fresno Pacific for a two-game homestand and kickoff the weekend against the Sunbirds on Saturday. The Seawolves would put together another solid game and record their 5th game of the season with 70 points or more.
The Seawolves would overcome an 11-point deficit late in the second half and make it just a three point game before the Sunbirds would knock down some clutch free throws to ice the game with just seconds left.
FIRST HALF | FPU (39), SSU (35):
Both teams would trade early buckets but Fresno Pacific would pull away and develop a six point lead near the midway point of the half. Sonoma State would answer with a layup from
Pierce Rexford and then a fast break layup from second year player Damian Wells to make it just a two point game. After getting another stop, SSU would come back down and senior veteran
Nick Klarman would pop out to the wing and hit a knock down three to grab a one point lead.
Head coach
Rich Shayewitz and his squad would find themselves down eight with under five to play as the Sunbirds shot an efficient 52% from the field in the first half. The Seawolves would find a groove though and go on a 13-9 scoring run to cut the deficit to just four at the break, including a pull-up three with just seconds remaining from junior guard
Julian Bryant. SSU would also shoot an efficient 48% from the field and keep themselves well within striking distance at the half.
SECOND HALF | FPU (79), SSU (73):
Fresno Pacific would come out firing to start the second half and go an incredible 8-8 and gain a ten point lead. The Seawolves would continue to battle all night long though and once again bring the game back to within single digits. As the game entered the final two minutes, freshman guard
Nick Medeiros would knock down four crucial 1-and-1 free throws to make it a ten point game. The Seawolves would apply a full court press and
Nick Klarman would intercept a pass in the middle of the floor to get the well needed turnover and steal. In the ensuing possession, Klarman would drive inside and then dish it off to sophomore
Jaylen Wells who would soar for the two-handed layup to make it an eight point game with a minute and a half to play.
Sonoma State would play some solid defense down the stretch and get another stop, allowing junior transfer
Brandynn Manning to come down and split a pair of defenders to lay it in, cutting the deficit down to just six points.
Rich Shayewitz smartly used his timeouts after each Seawolf basket to draw up plays and set his defense. With the game under a minute, SSU would be forced to foul intentionally and hope for missed free throws from the Sunbirds. FPU would make their first pair of free throws, but junior forward
Pierce Rexford would respond with a quick trigger three on the other end to make it a five point game. After another foul, the FPU shooter would miss one of his two free throws and leave the window open for the Seawolves.
After the inbounds,
Nick Medeiros would dive on the deck to save a loose ball and keep the Seawolves offensive possession alive. Manning would scoop up the ball from Medeiros and find an open Rexford on the weak side wing. Rexford would sidestep the closing defender and knock down another big three to make it a three-point game. After the Seawolves final timeout, they would foul again and hope for missed free throws with 20 seconds left. The Fresno Pacific shooter would miss the first but knock down the second to virtually put the game to bed.
A turnover on the Seawolves next possession and a transition layup would give the Sunbirds a six-point lead as time expired and end the game. For the third time this season, Sonoma State would have four players finish in double figures with sophomore
Jaylen Wells leading the way. Wells would finish with a game high 19 points, 7 rebounds, and 5 assists. Freshman guard
Nick Medeiros continued his solid play after making his third straight start. He recorded a season high 14 points and went 4-4 from the free throw line.
Pierce Rexford also finished with his third straight game in double figures, scoring 12 points and shooting 50% from three-point range.
Nick Klarman finished with 10 points and a season high 9 rebounds.
Another key stat in the game was the effective bench play from Fresno Pacific as the Sunbirds bench outscored the Seawolves 29-11. Sonoma State recorded their 5th game of the season with at least 70 points or more though as the offense continues to mesh and see consistent scoring.
Sonoma State falls to 0-6 on the season and remain 0-1 in CCAA play. They will resume the 2022 Seawolves Thanksgiving Classic tomorrow evening as they take on Holy Names at 4:00 PM. Live stats, stream, and ticket links can all be found at sonomaseawolves.com on the men's basketball schedule page. As always you can stream the game LIVE on the CCAA Network.
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