ROHNERT PARK, CALIF.- With their win over the visiting Lumberjacks of Cal Poly Humboldt, the Seawolves have now won three of their last four matchups. The Seawolves offense was firing on all cylinders while cranking up their defensive intensity in the second half of play to pull away and secure their much needed conference win.
After a high scoring and efficient first half from Cal Poly Humboldt Sonoma was able slow down their opponent holding them to under 40% from the field and only 22% from three. They also saw Chris Holley and Julian Bryant apply perimeter pressure all game long with both players swiping two steals.
Yet, the name of the game for Sonoma was how efficiently they put the ball in the basket. For the game they hit 60% of their field goals, 48% of their threes and 87% of their free throw attempts. In fact they were a perfect 14-14 from the line in the second frame of play.
Individually, the duo of Chris Holley and Julian Bryant have continued to play at an all-conference level. Holley's injection into the starting line up has elevated the entire offense thanks to his playmaking and quickness. He was once again dynamic with the Lumberjacks unable to guard him along the perimeter regardless of who they sent at him. For the night, Holley was an efficient 5-7 from the floor and hit 10 of 13 free throw attempts. Holley's ability to draw contact and force defenders on their heels at all times kept the entire Lumberjacks defense on edge. While his 20 points were stellar, it is his passing that is breaking games open. He had another eight assists to only two turnovers. His ability to find shooters in the corners has been elite.
Meanwhile, Julian Bryant was quite literally perfect in his 24 minutes of action. Bryant scored 20 points while hitting all six of his field goal attempts and all eight of his free throw attempts. As usual he wasn't just satisfied with scoring the ball but chipped in five rebounds, three assists, two steals and a block. Arguably the most impressive element of his big night was how limited he was in the first half due to foul trouble. The graduate wing has cemented himself as the versatile, swiss army knife the Seawolves need. Scoring in double figures in 10 of his last 11 games has just been icing on the cake.
Alongside these two, Sonoma's shooting from deep has reached new highs this season thanks to Jack Schultz and Aaron Ragen's continued marksmanship. Schultz was huge in the first half knocking down four threes including a clutch contested three with the shot clock expiring. While his shooting keeps defenses honest, Schultz's experience as a veteran college hooper has been huge as well. He snagged seven rebounds and handed out three assists while being a critical component of coach Shayewitz's second unit.
It is becoming difficult to find new ways to discuss Aaron Ragen's shooting from deep. He hit three more shots from behind the arc to the tune of 60%. His season-long three point percentage now sits at a blistering 48% and he has made at least 40% of his long range attempts in seven straight games. When both of these wings are knocking down shots and Holley is able to find them in their sweet spots, it generally leads to points for the Seawolves.
Winners in three of their last four, Sonoma now turns their attention to a big time matchup this Saturday against the Wildcats of Chico State. Currently, Chico sits atop the conference standings but with Sonoma beginning to find their stride look to the Seawolves to make a statement inside the Wolves Den!
