Box Score

LOS ANGELES – Cal State L.A.'s men's basketball team did not end its home schedule the way it would have liked.

The Golden Eagles were hoping for a tough weekend sweep, but instead were beaten by Cal State Stanislaus, 66-62, Saturday in a California Collegiate Athletic Association contest in the Eagles Nest. Cal State L.A. (15-9, 11-9 CCAA) was coming off a win over Chico State on Friday, but was unable to duplicate that success against Cal State Stanislaus (14-10, 10-10 CCAA). The Warriors have a two-game lead with two games to play over Cal State East Bay for the final tournament spot.
 
Leland Jones had a 21-point, 10-rebound double-double for the Golden Eagles, while Quinton Watkins had 11 points, three rebounds and three assists.
 
Reggie Jones had a game-high 20 points and nine rebounds for the Warriors, while Ronnie Sawyer had 16 points and eight rebounds and Sam Marcus had 10 points and seven assists.
 
Cal State L.A. struggled offensively against Cal State Stanislaus and shot just 38.3 percent for the game (23-of-60). The Warriors, meanwhile, were effective against the Golden Eagles, shooting at a 54.2 percent clip for the game (26-of-48) and making 57.7 percent of their shots in the second half (15-of-26). Cal State L.A. was especially cold from long-range and made only 2-of-18 attempts from beyond the 3-point arc.
 
Cal State L.A. had a 38-30 rebounding edge, including an 18-5 edge on the offensive glass, but the Golden Eagles could not overcome the disparity in shooting percentages. The Golden Eagles forced 16 turnovers and committed 13.
 
Jordan Richard had eight points and eight rebounds for the Golden Eagles.
 
The Golden Eagles started well and opened up a 15-9 lead following a 3-pointer by Watkins with nine minutes left in the first half. The Warriors, though, went on a 9-2 run and took an 18-17 lead following a 3-pointer by Jones. Cal State Stanislaus scored the final four points of the first half to take a 28-23 halftime lead.
 
Cal State L.A. scored the first seven points of the second half to take a 30-28 lead. A three-point play by Jones and a steal by Chris Robinson that led to a basket by Jones put the Golden Eagles ahead.
 
Cal State Stanislaus, though, responded by scoring the next eight points and took the lead for good. The lead grew as large as 14 points after a 3-pointer by Sawyer that made it 49-35 with 12 minutes to go.
 
The Golden Eagles still trailed by 14 points with 10:30 to go and were down by 11 points with nine minutes to go before rallying. A free throw by Jibreel Nasir, a dunk by Richard and a layup by Jones brought the Golden Eagles to within six points at and a layup by Watkins closed the gap to four points, 55-51, with 5:40 to go.
 
A basket by Jones made it a four-point game again at 58-54 with four minutes to go, and a free throw by Wetherell and a layup by Jones made it a three-point game at 60-57 with 2:30 to go. A tip-in by Reggie Jones, though, pushed the lead back to five with 1:50 to go. After Richard made one of two free throws, Nasir scored on an offensive rebound to make it a two-point game, 62-60, with 38 seconds remaining. Marcus, though, scored on a driving layup late in the shot cut to restore the lead to four points. A pair of free throws by Wetherell closed the gap to 64-62, but Sawyer hit two free throws for the final score and the Golden Eagles missed their final three shots as time ran out.
 
Cal State L.A. honored its four seniors – Bussey Ellis, Ryan Wetherell, Chris Robinson and Leland Jones – in pregame ceremonies.
 
The Golden Eagles will return to action on Wednesday with a road game at Cal Poly Pomona. Cal State L.A. will then conclude the regular season on Friday in San Francisco.