ROHNERT PARK, CALIF. - On Friday, November 17th, the Sonoma State men's basketball team made their home debut in the annual Ron Logsdon Basketball Challenge against Sioux Falls. The Seawolves would continue their hot start to the season and come from behind to win a one point thriller with a late three from
Andrew Henderson. Henderson has now recorded double figures in each of the team's first three games and drilled a spot up three in front of the Seawolves bench to give them the 65-64 win with seconds remaining.
FIRST HALF 27-36 SIOUX FALLS
Sonoma State got off to a solid start defensively but some missed free throws and layups in transition would keep them from building a first half lead. As a result, Sioux Falls knocked down eight threes in the half and shot nearly 50% from the field to get out to a double digit lead. SSU would find themselves down as many as 13 in the first half, but some key defensive stops and big momentum plays would get them within 9 at the break.
Late in the first half, LMU transfer
James Nobles would bring some much needed energy to the floor with an emphatic one handed slam to cut the deficit to eight. After a pair of buckets from Sioux Falls to, jumpers from
Cameron Barry,
Julian Bryant and
James Nobles would pull the lead back down to single digits at the half.
Center
Dillon Iyawe also had a quality first half and showed his dominance inside. Iyawe finished with eight points in the first half to lead SSU in scoring and give them a post presence against the smaller Cougars.
FINAL 65-64 SIOUX FALLS
The Seawolves would regroup at the half and start to capitalize on some missed opportunities from the first half. They would open the second half on an 11-4 run to make it a two point game. After back-to-back answers from the Cougars, Nobles would grab a huge offensive rebound and kick it out to sophomore point guard
Nick Medeiros who would drill a three ball to cut the lead back to three.
Just under the ten minute mark, the Seawolves would start to catch fire from beyond the arc as second year player
Pierce Rexford would drill a corner three to tie the game for the first time since SSU led 9-7 early in the first half. Sioux Falls would answer once again with a 5-0 run but Medeiors would knock down a tough jumper to cut the lead to three and then
Andrew Henderson would hit a massive stepback three from the top of the arc to knot the game at 53.
As the game entered the final minutes, both teams would trade blows and exchange leads but SSU would get into foul trouble and Sioux Falls would convert some crucial free throws to take a 64-62 lead with 30 seconds remaining. Head coach
Rich Shayewitz would use his final timeout once Medeiros got into the front court to give SSU a chance to tie or take the lead on the final possession.
Out of the timeout, the ball would swing around the top of the arc and find Henderson in the post just inside the three point line. Henderson would face up his defender and decide to pull the trigger as he drilled the corner three right in front of the Seawolves bench to give them a one point lead.
The officials would review the shot to confirm his feet were behind the line allowing Sioux Falls to draw up a play with 15 seconds remaining. The Cougars guard would back his way into the low post and rise up for a jumper just inside the free throw line. First year guard
Damien Miller stayed with him the entire time and would challenge the shot late to force a miss off the front end.
James Nobles would soar in late for the rebound and get fouled to ice the game and give Sonoma State a gutsy one point victory.
Nobles didn't light up the box score but he made his impact felt with some clutch rebounding and tenacious defending down the stretch. Henderson continued his stellar start to his SSU career, finishing with 15 points and 4 rebounds as he hit the game winning three in the team's final possession.
Dillon Iyawe had a great night inside, finishing with a season high 14 points and 7 rebounds. The Cougars did not have an answer for the strength of Iyawe and his consistent scoring inside helped keep the game close in the first half.
Nick Medeiros led all bench scorers for SSU with 9 points on 3-6 shooting. After hitting 50% of their three's in the first half, Sioux Falls was just 1-12 in the second half and made just eight field goals in the final twenty minutes, a testament to Sonoma State's defense in the second half.
STATS
| Sonoma State |
Team |
Sioux Falls |
| 50.0 |
FG% |
37.0 |
| 41.7 |
3PT% |
30.8 |
| 8-17 |
FT |
11-14 |
| 10 |
TO |
11 |
| 36 |
Paint pts. |
20 |
LOOKING AHEAD
Sonoma State improves to 3-0 on the season after coming back from 13 down against Sioux Falls. They will conclude the Ron Logsdon Basketball Challenge on Saturday, November 18th at 6:00 PM against Western Oregon. Tickets can be bought online at sonomaseawolves.com/tickets and you can stream the game LIVE on the CCAA Network.
Be sure to follow your Seawolves on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter to get all the latest SSU athletics updates and information. Sonoma State athletics also has launched a new fan app in partnership with From Now On. Download the free app today in both the Apple and Google Play stores by searching Sonoma State Seawolves in the app store. @SonomaSeawolves | #NomaNation
