Players from the SF State men’s basketball team celebrate their win against Cal State East Bay after going into overtime in the Main Gym at Don Nasser Plaza on Saturday, Feb. 25, 2023. (Miguel Francesco Carrion / Golden Gate Xpress) (Miguel Francesco)
Players from the SF State men’s basketball team celebrate their win against Cal State East Bay after going into overtime in the Main Gym at Don Nasser Plaza on Saturday, Feb. 25, 2023. (Miguel Francesco Carrion / Golden Gate Xpress)
The Gators’ senior night and final game of the season at The Swamp was one to remember. The men’s basketball team beat Cal State East Bay 79-77 in overtime on Saturday, securing the third seed in the California Collegiate Athletic Association Tournament.
The win followed another nail-biter on Thursday, which came down to a John Bakke buzzer-beater, which secured a playoff spot for the Gators. SF State finished the conference 12-10 and 16-12 overall. The well-fought game prevents Cal State East Bay from breaking its tie with Chico state for a playoff spot.
Before the game, seniors Jalen Flanagan, Eche Okeke, Toby Okwuokei and Bryson Ryan were honored in a senior night ceremony.
SF State had a slow start in the first half, once trailing 24-12, but defensive plays and momentum on the opposite end of the court led the Gators to close the gap to four before the half’s end.
Pearse Uniacke (44) passes the ball during the game against Cal State East Bay in the Main Gym at Don Nasser Plaza on Saturday, Feb. 25, 2023. (Miguel Francesco Carrion / Golden Gate Xpress) (Miguel Francesco Carrion)
Flanagan, a guard, was the second leading scorer of the game for the Gators, with a career-high of 21 points and nine rebounds. With eight seconds left at the end of the game, Flanagan scored a fastbreak layup to tie the game 64-64, which led to overtime.
“We did go down early and we thought, just stick together,” Flanagan said. “If we stick to what we do on defense and on offense, it will eventually come. So that’s what happened, we stayed playing as one.”
Okeke, a forward, led the team in scoring and rebounds with a career-high of 23 points and 11 rebounds.
“I always try to play hard,” Okeke said. “So in moments where we were down, I wanted to just try and score to get to the free throw line and see what I can do to help my team and on the defensive side –– just battling.”
Overall for the season, Okeke led the team in scoring, averaging 12 points per game and rebounds, averaging six per game.
Despite a slow start, losing on the boards and a variety of referee calls, the Gators made strong plays and stayed in the game.
Stephanie Perez cheers on SF State against Cal State East Bay as the score ties 64-64 on Saturday, Feb. 25, 2023. (Daniela Perez / Golden Gate Xpress) (Daniela Perez)
“The guys have to step up and make plays,” said Head Basketball Coach Vince Inglima. The guys did it tonight and we’ve been doing it lately. We’ve got to keep that attitude and we have to keep that effort going into the playoffs next week.”
Inglima said the season prepared them for the playoffs.
“Our mentality is that we’re playing as well as anybody is right now,” Inglima said.“We’ve won 11 of 14 and we’ve won in a variety of ways. We’ve had some high-scoring games, some low-scoring games and games that came down to the wire.”
The Gators face Chico State (12-15) next week in the first round of the CCAA Tournament.
Toby Okwuokei (10) gets ready to shoot a free throw during the game against Cal State East Bay in the Main Gym at Don Nasser Plaza on Saturday, Feb. 25, 2023. (Miguel Francesco Carrion / Golden Gate Xpress)
Destiny Walker (she/her) is the online editor for Golden Gate Xpress. She is majoring in Journalism and minoring in Labor and Employment. She is from Sacramento, California, born and raised. This semester her beat will be about sports, but when she is not writing about sports she’s probably playing them. She grew up watching and playing sports so she loves to be active, whether that's a pickup basketball game or adventuring the great outdoors.
Daniela Perez (she/her) is the Engagement Editor for Golden Gate Xpress and Xpress Magazine.Her journey with GGX began as a reporter and then online editor. In her spare time, she goes on outings with friends and video calls with her family and cat back home.
Miguel Francesco Carrion (he/him) is a fifth-year photojournalism major and Asian American studies minor. While he claims to be a country-singing, Bronco riding cowboy in another universe, he is currently serving as the visuals editor for the Golden Gate Xpress. Outside of school, he works as a freelance photographer and videographer, and his work has appeared in BBC North America, The Philippine Daily Inquirer, Positively Filipino Magazine and The Filipino Channel. When not working, you can find him at The Pub or in the back of his friends’ cars belting Zach Bryan lyrics out of tune.
