The San Francisco State University men’s basketball team looked outclassed as they suffered their worst loss of the season to California State University, East Bay, 86-46.
The 40-point loss has the Gators sitting in last place with two conference losses, tied alongside the California State University, San Marcos Cougars and California State University, San Bernardino Coyotes.
“It’s tough, but this is a journey; it’s a long season,” head coach Vince Inglima said. “We knew there was going to be ups and downs. We know we’re capable of a lot more, and it’s a matter of keeping their heads up.”
The Gators finished with 15 made baskets, four fewer than the number of turnovers they had in the game.
“We laid an egg tonight,” Inglima said.
Early in the first half, SFSU got off to a 10-3 lead to start the game with the help of five points from junior guard Milandev Chatha following the first time stoppage. But the undefeated Pioneers quickly responded and got back into it with an 11-0 run.
“I thought we came into the game with a good plan and I thought we were executing it at the start of the game,” Inglima said.
East Bay senior forward Jalen Foy hit back-to-back corner 3-pointers for the Pioneers during their offensive explosion, forcing Inglima to call a timeout, as the Gators trailed 14-10.
“I started the season off shooting pretty bad, but every day, I’ve been in the gym with my coaches and teammates, so I think this game was different because I had confidence in every shot. I just believed in myself,” Foy said.
Once SFSU fell behind, they really struggled to make shots, shooting just 22% on 22 shot attempts in the first half. Both Chatha and junior forward Mason Harris had five points each for the Gators.
The Pioneers went into halftime with a 45-23 lead, closing the half on a 7-0 run. Foy led all scorers in the first half with 12 points and capped it off with another made 3-pointer in the final seconds of the half. As a team, the Pioneers shot 57% from the field and made eight 3-pointers. For comparison, the Gators only made nine field goal attempts in the half.
In the second half, the Pioneers didn’t let their foot off the gas, as they doubled up on the Gators at one point with a 72-36 lead. They managed to shoot even better in the second half, going 8-for-14 from 3-point range. The Pioneer’s bench would outscore the entire Gators team, 50-46.
As for Cal State East Bay, they remain perfect so far after seven games, and head coach Bryan Rooney is particularly happy to see how involved his team is, especially with 15 different players scoring for his team in the win.
(Daniel Archuleta / Golden Gate Xpress)
“I’m really proud of the energy that our guys had, and just the connectivity. That’s one of the things that’s been so special about our group is we kinda had that from Game 1,” Rooney said. “[I’m] proud of the effort, we gotta make sure we continue.”
The Gators also suffered another injury to their backcourt as junior guard Maximilian Parmigiani rolled his right ankle and left the game just four minutes into the first half. Parmigiani was making just his second start of the season, filling in for the injured Fed Pernell. This now leaves SFSU without two of its primary ballhandlers for an indefinite period.
Gators sophomore center Evan McKnight, who finished with four rebounds and a block in 21 minutes of action, is looking to put this two-game skid in the rear-view mirror and look ahead to their next opponent.
“Hopefully we’re gonna have some more healthier bodies on the court,” McKnight said. “We need to know how to respond and we have all week to adjust and grow and compete against each other and bring it into the next game.”
The Gators return home to face the Seattle Pacific University Falcons on Sunday, Dec. 14 at 2 p.m.
