Last week on Tuesday, the Sonoma State men’s basketball team suffered a heartbreaking loss to Cal State Monterey Bay in the Wolve’s Den. The Seawolves started off with fire in their hearts and intensity in their moves, but eventually saw a 75-50 loss to one of their conference rivals as the game progressed.
The seawolves started off hot in the first half by shooting 40% from field goal range as well as building up a nine point lead halfway through the first half, which was their biggest lead of the game. However as halftime came closer, the Monterey bench started to rack up more points and offensive rebounds.
The Otter bench went off for 50 of the team’s 75 point game with Otter Noah Stapes going off for a career high. Stapes led the away team with 23 points as well as knocking down seven three-pointers which were both career highs for him.
Despite allowing an opponent to have that much free-time with the ball, the Seawolves were able to maintain tough defense throughout most of the first half. Giving the Otters a hard time scoring in the paint, as well as forcing many turnovers, were some of the many ups for the Seawolves as they were hoping to accomplish their first win of the season.
With halftime coming closer and the Seawolves being down, the home team managed to close the point deficit with two very fast back to back lay ups from SSU’s two bigs. Wesley Gilbert and Jeremy Lillis with their buckets helped close the difference to just two points near the start of halftime. However, it was the Otters that caught the Seawolves by surprise by making two more three pointers from downtown at a quick tempo, along with a single free throw to make it a nine point game. Just like that, the score was 34-25 at halftime.
The rest of the game was tough on the Seawolves, as they could not capitalize on rebounds, allowing the Otters to score many unanswered points. The three pointer woes from the Seawolves continued as they ended the game on three-pointers as well as finishing the game with a 30% field goal completion.
The final score was 75-50, with Monterey taking home the victory for now.
“We competed hard,” said SSU head Coach Rich Shayewitz. “Hats off to CSUMB for making the shots they needed to beat us. Although we didn’t get the results we wanted, I believe our team competed together, stayed together, and took another step towards our team growth.”
Although the Men’s basketball team record is now currently 1-7, there are still many more games and opportunities for the Seawolves to turn their season around.
Senior Kenny Olsem, who scored six points for the night, also had much to say about the team’s performance as well as preparing for their next games. “We learned a certain weakness in our defense that had been exposed tonight,” says Olsem. “Always tough to make shots when the team keeps scoring on the other end. We are preparing for our next game by working on our defense and getting up extra shots. Also, just emphasizing staying together as a team. After a loss is the most important time to be there for one another and not point fingers.”
With Sonoma State’s a conference record of 1-1, they will continue their CCAA campaign with future games against Chico State on Dec. 11 and Stanislaus State on Dec. 18th. To keep up with stats and scores, visit the SSU Athletics home page for more information.
