By Jacques Lee |Staff Writer|
Coyote men’s basketball team fought long and hard to get a solid win in Thursday night’s game against Cal State Monterey Bay.
The game had a slow start but the Coyotes were able to keep the intensity up.They went into the second half looking for victory.
The Coyotes shot at 36 percent from the field during the first half but that percentage increased to 43 percent in the second half. This ledt to 40 percent shooting average.
The Coyotes had a close win with a score of 69-66.
The Coyotes were led by junior Guard Jacob Thomas. Thomas led the team by scoring 19 points, three steals and one assist.
“I know I played a big role in us winning and if I’m not successful it’s hard for us to be successful, so I just try and keep my head in the game, and my team sets me up for great shots and great looks so I just have to knock them down,” said Thomas.
Senior Guard Isaiah Morton had a good run as well with 13 points. Senior Guard Taylor Statham was also one of the lead scorers.
Sophomore Everett Turner was able to score during some key points in the game.
The Coyotes also got some serious help on defense from seniors Abdi Faras and Tevin Harris.
Faras came up with five blocks, while Harris finished the game with three.
However, the great performance that produced a win was still a bit overshadowed at one staggering statistic.
The team turned the ball over 20 times and had a tough time trying to figure out how to keep their opponent from keeping up.
The Otters went on a 15-8 run late in the game that pulled them within three points of the Coyotes.
“We matched their intensity in the second half but still didn’t rebound the ball very well, but we matched their intensity a little bit better than we did in the first, but our execution down the stretch was terrible— too many turnovers and too many defensive breakdowns,” said Head Coach Jeff Oliver.
Oliver is thankful for the loyal Coyote crowd that came to support the team, “it always helps, I don’t think we have lost here yet, so so far so good. It’s good that the students are getting back into school; I hope that the crowds keep getting bigger and bigger,” said Oliver.
This win tonight snaps a two game losing streak and puts the Coyotes at a 5-7 overall record with a record of 5-4 in conference play.
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