While down 70-68 late in the game against the Seattle Pacific University Falcons, the San Francisco State University Gators’ bench stood up and the crowd waited in anticipation after a steal from junior forward Bricen Buciak, who passed it to junior forward Mason Harris for a last-second 2-point shot attempt. The shot, which would have sent the game to overtime, was unsuccessful.
The Gators still have only one win on the season, but this loss on Sunday was their closest in the last three games. The Gators can still hold their heads up high, as the Falcons recently beat the No. 10-ranked team in the nation, Point Loma Nazarene University. The game was close after the first half, with the Gators only down by eight. In the second half, they outscored the Falcons 32-26, but the effort just wasn’t enough.
Head coach Vince Inglima talked about the Gators’ improved defensive play, which kept them in the game and was a highlight for the team.
“We defended considerably better than we have been in the previous weeks,” Inglima said. “I was really pleased with that.”
The Gators garnered four steals, zero blocks and just three turnovers while the Falcons had no steals, one block and 11 turnovers overall. The Gators’ only fault came at the rim, as they snagged just 24 rebounds, considerably less than the Falcons’ 41.
SFSU struggled late in the second half as the pressure mounted and both teams became more desperate. Seattle Pacific drew important fouls in the final minute, with the most impactful one being drawn by sophomore guard Henry Sandberg, who made both his free throw attempts. This left the Gators less than 10 seconds to tie the game up and force overtime.
“We have to be better [at getting offensive rebounds],” junior guard Markees Williams said. “Those last five minutes on the glass killed us.”
Williams had personal season highs in minutes played (35), free throws made and 3-pointers made, which helped keep it close for the Gators against the Falcons.
Gators saw steady improvement that didn’t falter as the game went on. They made 52.1% of their FG shots in the first half and finished the contest shooting 46.9%. They were 8-16 from 3-point range as a team, but struggled at the free-throw line, only going 14-22.
On the upside, the Gators scored 13 points off turnovers, got 25 points from the bench and 20 points in the paint. The Gators were not afraid to shoot contested shots, especially junior guard Milandev Chatha, who had 11 shot attempts.
The Gators were led in scoring by Buciak with 22 points, two 3-point shots made and went 8-8 at the free throw line. He was followed by Miles Pollard, who had 20 points, with three 3-pointers made.
Sophomore forward Diego Martinez, who had five points and two rebounds, credited the Gators’ resilience throughout the game.
“They never got a good advantage,” Martinez said. “We never thought we were out of it and that kept us fighting.”
(Haley Abarca / Golden Gate Xpress)
The game saw seven lead changes, fairly spread between the first and second halves. The Gators’ biggest deficit was 12 points four minutes into the second half, and their biggest lead was four points early in the first half.
The Gators have also had to fight through numerous injuries, as they were missing two starters and three rotation players, forcing Inglima to shake up the starting five.
Redshirt junior guard Parsa Hadjighasemi started for the first time in his career, ending the night with five points on the board. He was happy with his first-ever start, particularly with his defensive play, and commended the team for playing their best defense in recent games.
“In a one-possession game with a lot of people that are new and don’t have a lot of experience, that’s when you can lose it,” Hadjighasemi said.
The team expressed mixed emotions after such a close game, with some happy with the tremendous effort despite injuries, and others sad that the game was just within reach.
“There’s a lot of good things, obviously super disappointing to come away on the wrong end of it though,” Inglima said.
The Gators hope to close out 2025 on a better note as they head down to Southern California for California Collegiate Athletic Association conference play against the Cal State Los Angeles Golden Eagles and the Cal State Dominguez Hills Toros.
