Game Replay

LOS ANGELES – Cal State L.A.'s men's basketball team picked up its first win of the season Monday night in its home opener, but not without some anxious moments down the stretch.
 
The Golden Eagles lost almost all of an 18-point second-half lead before getting one final stop in a 56-55 win over Fresno Pacific in the Eagles Nest. Cal State L.A. (1-1) scored only six points in the final 11 minutes to make new coach Dieter Horton's first victory a nailbiter.
 
David Hall led a balanced Cal State L.A. attack with 12 points and seven rebounds, while Andre McPhail had eight points and seven rebounds and Xavier Jones had eight points and six rebounds in the win.
 
Roger Paul had 14 points to lead three Fresno Pacific players in double figures. Trevon Clayton had 11 points and six rebounds and Jeff Amazan had 10 points, five rebounds and four assists.
 
Cal State L.A. shot 44.4 percent for the game (24-of-54) while holding Fresno Pacific (2-2) to just 31.7 percent shooting (19-of-60). The Golden Eagles also had a 40-36 rebounding edge.
 
The Golden Eagles, though, were a dismal 5-of-12 from the free-throw line, while the Sunbirds were 13-of-16.
 
Both teams struggled from 3-point range with Cal State L.A. hitting just 3-of-15 attempts and Fresno Pacific making just 4-of-18.
 
LaBradford Franklin had seven points, four rebounds and five assists for the Golden Eagles and also had a key defensive stop in the final seconds of the game when Fresno Pacific had a shot to win the game. Franklin came up with the ball and the final 1.1 seconds ticked off after he missed a free throw at the other end.
 
The Golden Eagles shook off a slow start and opened up a 32-23 halftime lead. Joel Brokenbrough scored on a layup to give the Golden Eagles their first double-digit lead of the game, 27-17 and a 3-pointer by Chris Martin gave Cal State L.A. its nine-point halftime lead.
 
A 3-pointer by Joshua Munzon and a layup by Jones gave the Golden Eagles a 44-29 lead early in the second half and consecutive baskets by Brokenbrough, McPhail and Franklin gave the Golden Eagles their biggest lead of the game, 50-32, with 11:09 remaining.
 
Cal State L.A.'s offense ground to a halt after that and the Golden Eagles had to hold on dearly for the victory. An offensive rebound basket by Brokenbrough kept Cal State L.A. ahead, 52-38, with eight minutes to play, but the Golden Eagles didn't score again until a tip-in by Aaron Alston with two minutes left that gave the Golden Eagles a 54-48 lead.
 
After a dunk by Hall gave the Golden Eagles a 56-50 lead with 1:12 to go, a 3-pointer by Amazan and two free throws by Clayton made it 56-55 with 36 seconds left. After a missed free throw, Fresno Pacific grabbed the rebound and had a chance to complete its comeback before a stout defensive effort at the end by the Golden Eagles.
 
Cal State L.A. will open CCAA action on Saturday at Cal State Dominguez Hills at 7 p.m.