San Francisco State University men’s basketball team showed flashes, but ultimately, lots of inexperience resulted in their season-opening loss 96-66 against the Dominican University Penguins on Friday.
Junior transfer guard Milandev Chatha had a team-high 18 points while sophomore guard Fed Pernell finished with 16. However, they were the only two Gators who scored in double figures. As for the Penguins, they had four players in double-digits and finished the game shooting 50% from three-point range.
Ten players made their Gator debut, and their lack of playing time together as a unit was evident in comparison to Dominican, which boasts a roster filled with upperclassmen.
“We’re a very young and inexperienced team, and that really showed tonight,” said head coach Vince Inglima. “What showed through in the first half was that our talent level is not inadequate.”
The Gators were able to keep pace for the majority of the first half, with the game tied at 26 with over six minutes left to play. A large part of that was due to Chatha’s play, who had a perfect start from the field, shooting 5-5. He credited his ability to attack early and getting to his spots from there.
The Penguins closed the half effortlessly, going on a 19-6 run. Much of that was decided at the free-throw line as the Penguins outscored the Gators 15-5 from the charity stripe in the first half.
“We have a lot of gaps we need to fill [on defense],” said Alex Gilat, assistant coach for the Gators. “We just need to continue improving.”
Overall, the Penguins also dominated the battle in the key, with 44 of their 96 points coming from inside the paint, compared to the Gators’ 22 points.
“I think [Dominican] physically outmatched us through most of the game,” Inglima said. “Physically, we’re not ready to play at the pace of college basketball with so many young guys who’ve never played on a [Division II] basketball court.”
Pernell, one of the returning players, turned in quite a performance. To go with his aforementioned 16 points, he had two steals that resulted in four fastbreak points and also chipped in with three assists while playing a team-high 29 minutes.
“We went pick-and-roll heavy so [the Penguins] were blocking the ball screens so they were forcing me to the sideline,” Pernell said. “I was using that to my advantage, to get to the paint, get downhill and get my floaters and jumpshots, so I was taking what the defense was giving me.”
Despite losing by 30 in their season opener, Chatha said the team vibes are still trending upwards, speaking highly of his coaches and feeling good about the road ahead.
“We’ve vocalized just sticking together, just making sure that [if] things go south, we stick together as a team and making sure we’re physical and executing whatever coach has for us,” Chatha said.
The Gators have the opportunity to turn the page rather quickly with their second and final game of the West Region Tipoff Challenge as they face Western Washington University tonight at 5 p.m. at Dominican University’s Conlan Center.
