ROHNERT PARK, CALIF. - On a wet and rainy Saturday evening in Sonoma County, the Sonoma State men's basketball team pulled off a terrific 9-point comeback late in the second half with some key defensive stops to beat Cal State LA 72-71. Five players for SSU would finish in double figures for the first time this season as a thin Seawolves lineup stepped up and made clutch plays on both ends of the floor to secure the 1-point victory. 

FIRST HALF SSU 28-31 CSULA:

The Seawolves would hold the upper hand for the majority of the start of the game, building up a 12-7 lead after a pull up jumper from sophomore star Jaylen Wells. Just a few possessions later, junior transfer Pierce Rexford would make his first appearance since early December and knock down a big catch-and-shoot corner three to give the Seawolves an early 8-point lead. 

The Golden Eagles would weather the storm though and find their stride with a momentous 11-0 run including 3 three balls to force an SSU timeout with under four to play in the first half. Just a couple possessions later, three balls from Rexford and Austin Fadal would make it just a two-point game as they ended a bit of a scoring drought for the Seawolves offense. The Golden Eagles would convert on a pull up jumper with seconds remaining to go into the half with a three-point lead.  

The numbers looked good for head coach Rich Shayewitz and his squad in the first half, shooting 48% from the field and 44% from three point range, but an 11-0 scoring run flipped the script and had the Seawolves playing from behind for the final few minutes of the half. 

FINAL SSU 72-71 CSULA:

Both teams would come out of the half and trade blows, SSU continuing to attack the paint with an early layup from big man Dillon Iyawe, and Cal State LA with swift ball movement allowing them to knock down three deep balls to start the half. 

Nearing the 10-minute mark, Sonoma State would cut the lead in half with a crucial wing three ball from true freshman Nick Medeiros. After getting a stop on the other end, Iyawe would kick out a nice pass to Medeiros who would knock down the three ball to ignite the crowd and cut the deficit to just three points. Three straight buckets from the Golden Eagles though would give them their biggest lead of the game and force another SSU timeout, giving them a 58-49 lead with under ten to play.

Out of the timeout, the Seawolves would end the 6-0 Cal State LA run with a big corner three ball from DI transfer Austin Fadal. That three ball would seem to spark the SSU run in the final 8 minutes of the game as the Seawolves slowly chipped away at the 8-point deficit. 

The momentum would continue to swing for SSU as the play intensified around the 8-minute mark. A hard foul from the Golden Eagles on Dillon Iyawe would result in an officials review and a flagrant 1, and two offsetting technicals would follow the play. After the long break, Iyawe would step up and hit both free throws to make it just a five-point game. 

Approaching the five-minute mark, the Seawolves would force a missed field goal on the defensive side and junior guard Julian Bryant would take the ball the length of the floor and finish through some contact to make it a two-point game. 

Under the minute mark, the game would come down to the wire after the Golden eagles would convert a layup after some great defense from the Seawolves but an airball shot would get picked up and put in late in the shot clock to give LA a two-point lead. Needing a bucket, freshman Nick Medeiros would come up the hero as he found himself alone on the wing for a three-point attempt. His shot would come off the front rim but the defender would run through Medeiros, giving him the foul and three free throws to take the lead. 

An 85% foul shooter on the season, Medeiros calmly hit all three free throws to give SSU a 72-71 lead, their first lead of the half. On the other end, LA would roll into their next possession and keep their timeout. SSU would show great defensive effort with solid switches and rotation. They would force a contested corner three that would rattle in and out but then deflect out of bounds to remain LA ball. 

The Golden Eagles would then use their final timeout and the game would be decided on the next play. LA would stack their offense down on the low block and after inbounding the ball, they would have a one-on-one play coming across the middle of the floor. Center Dillon Iyawe would switch onto the offensive player and contest a tough fadeaway near the free throw line that would come off the front rim, allowing Austin Fadal would grab the loose rebound as time expired to give the Seawolves a thrilling one-point comeback victory.    

BY THE NUMBERS:

A huge 44-point second half for Sonoma State would be highlighted by five players finishing in double figures for the first time this season. The Seawolves continued to attack the paint and outscored the Golden Eagles 30-28 on the night, but SSU's bench would prove the difference maker down the stretch. 

Julian Bryant would go 4-for-7 from the field and a perfect 5-for-5 from the stripe for a huge 13 points off the bench. Stretch forward Pierce Rexford would also connect on a team high 3 three pointers to finish with 9 points of his own off the bench for the Seawolves. Rich Shayewitz and his squad went down 9 points with under ten minutes to play but were able to slowly chip away at LA's lead as freshman guard Nick Medeiros would come out as the hero, knocking down three clutch free throws with 22 seconds remaining.  

LOOKING AHEAD: 

Sonoma State salvaged the weekend split with a thrilling comeback win over Cal State LA, 72-71. They even out their record at 8-8 overall and improve to 7-3 in CCAA play. The Seawolves will hit the road and head south next week as they take on nationally ranked Cal State San Bernardino on Thursday, January 19th. 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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