Box Score The Chico State men’s basketball team debuted their sharp new home grey uniforms Saturday night. Things got ugly after that.
Seventh-ranked Seattle Pacific scored the game’s first 16 points and never let up on the way to a 79-47 victory over the 16th-ranked Wildcats in the final game of the 53rd annual Carl’s Jr. Mac Martin Invitational Saturday night in Acker Gym.
The 79 points are the most the Wildcats have allowed at home since Jan. 21, 2011. Their 47 points are the second fewest they’ve scored since the last time Seattle Pacific played in the Mac Martin on Jan. 28, 2009, and held the Wildcats to 44.
Seattle Pacific hit seven of its first nine shots on the way to that 16-0 lead. And the Falcons (5-1) never seemed to cool off. They finished the game shooting 65 percent overall and 54 percent from 3-point range.
Chico State, meanwhile, missed its first seven shots before James Staniland connected on a 3-pointer to get them on the board for the first time 7:22 into the game.
The Wildcats looked as though they might make a game of it, trailing 27-16 with 6:01 left in the first half. But the Falcons went on an 11-2 run and went into halftime up 46-25. Then they scored the first six points of the second half and Chico State never got closer than 23 after that.
David Downs led Seattle Pacific with 16 points, while Andy Poling, Jobi Wall and Cory Hutsen scored 10 apiece. Downs and Wall were both named to the All-Tournament Team.
James Staniland led Chico State with eight points. Damario Sims, who earned All-Tournament honors thanks mostly to his game-high 16 points in Friday night’s win, finished with six points but missed all five of his 3-point attempts.
The Wildcats don’t have long to lick their wounds. They host 18th-ranked Cal Poly Pomona Friday night and long-time rival Humboldt State Saturday night to open their California Collegiate Athletic Association title defense.
San Francisco State 69, UC-Colorado Springs 66
The Gators were the only team to notch two victories in the Mac Martin Invitational. Following its win Friday over No. 7 Seattle Pacific, San Francisco State rallied from an eight-point halftime deficit to down UC-Colorado Springs 69-66 Saturday at Acker Gym.
The Gators shot 57 percent from the field and 67 percent from 3-point range to earn the win and even their season record at 2-2. UC-Colorado Springs dropped to 0-4 overall.
Tournament MVP James Albright knocked down nine of his 12 shots on the night and finished with a game-high 21 points, while All-Tournament selection Robbie Herndon hit three 3-pointers en route to a 19-point performance. The Gators’ third All-Tournament pick, Calvin Otiono, chipped in eight points, three assists and three steals. Derrick White paced UC-Colorado Springs with 18 points. All-Tournament selection Darius Pardner finished with 14.
A layup by Albright with 1:56 to play in the second half put San Francisco State in front for good, then clutch free throws down the stretch by Herndon and William Overton, Jr. helped the Gators keep UC-Colorado Springs at bay, ultimately securing the three-point victory.
