by Kirolles Guirguis |Staff Writer|
The Coyote Men’s Baskellball team finished this past weekend undefeated against the San Francisco Gators and Sonoma State Seawolves.
The Coyotes won 75-65 Friday night against the San Francisco State Gators and again Saturday night versus the Sonoma State Seawolves, 81-71.
The Coyotes are now ranked 8th in the nation on the National Association of Basketball Coaches rankings.
This marks the thirteenth consecutive win for the Coyotes this season, which is the longest winning streak the team has had since the 2003-2004 season.
The Coyotes came back to win Friday night’s game after trailing the Gators in the first half.
Kirby Gardner and Lacey Haddock helped secure the win with a crucial three point field goal and free throw allowing the Coyotes to capitalize the remainder of the game.
Gardner had a season high with four 3-pointers at the first half and finished with six 3-pointers at the end of the game.
“We definitely need to work on our defense. On ball and off ball. It’s never easy to win two games in a row against two great opponents. We have so many weapons and great guards like Lacey and Kirby. We have great chemistry even though this is the first year many of us started playing together.” said Senior Jordan Burris.
The Coyotes’ strong defense forced turnovers throughout the game. The Gators were overwhelmed by the pressure that was brought by the Coyotes in the second half.
Gardener scored twenty four points in the first half of the game. Burris also hit double digits for the Coyotes with nineteen points, seven rebounds, and five steals over the Gators Friday night.
The Coyotes outscored the Gators 38-27 in the second half to secure the win.
Saturday night’s game at Sonoma State was no different with five Coyote players scoring in double digits.
The Coyotes were able to reach their 13th win by outscoring the Seawolves in each half of the game.
The team dominated the Seawolves with 29 points off of turnovers and another 27 points from the bench.
With a combination of strong defense and consistent shooting from all players, the Coyotes controlled the pace of the game which allowed them to see another road victory.
Andrew Young scored twelve points alongside Gardner who had eleven points Saturday night.
“Every team in the CCAA, California Collegiate Althletic Association, is a tough match up, whether their record shows it or not. Any team can beat an opponent on any given night. Most teams in our conference have not suffered any big losses. They are all close games that are up for grabs by anyone,” said Sophomore Evan Jenkins
Casey Oldenmoppen also helped push the team forward, coming off the bench against the Seawolves.
The Men’s team will play against Humboldt State University and Cal Poly Pomona at home Friday, Jan 31 and again Saturday at the Coussoulis Arena.
Leave a Reply