ROHNART PARK -- Cal State L.A.'s men's basketball team gave it a good run in the second half after a miserable beginning, but saw a late rally come up short at Sonoma State.

The Golden Eagles shot just 18 percent in the opening half and fell behind by as many as 26 points in a 57-44 California Collegiate Athletic Association loss to the Seawolves in the Wolves' Den. Cal State L.A. (7-8, 5-6 CCAA) sliced the 26-point deficit down to seven points with seven minutes left, but couldn't get any closer. Sonoma State (9-6, 6-5 CCAA) didn't score a basket over the last nine minutes of the game, but hit five of six free-throw attempts in the final minute to put the game away.

Chris Martin had a breakout game for the Golden Eagles, scoring a season-high 14 points and helping fuel the second-half rally. Joel Brokenbrough had 10 points and seven rebounds.

Khalid Johnson had 13 points and JJ Mina had 13 points and eight rebounds to lead the Seawolves. James Davis had 10 points and six rebounds.

LaBradford Franklin and Joshua Munzon had five points each for Cal State L.A.

Cal State L.A. shot just 31.1 percent for the game (14-of-45), while Sonoma State shot 45.9 percent (17-of-37). The Golden Eagles were also just 5-of-23 from 3-point range, while the Seawolves were 3-of-11. The Golden Eagles were an effective 11-of-13 from the free-throw line, while Sonoma State was 20-of-29, including 5-of-6 in the final minute.

If the Golden Eagles were hoping to build momentum after their big home win over Cal Poly Pomona last Saturday, they saw those aspirations get dashed in a hurry. Cal State L.A. managed only three first-half field goals, while Sonoma State was 12-of-19 while building a 36-15 halftime lead.

The Golden Eagles found themselves down, 43-17, with 17 minutes to play before rolling off a 25-6 surge over the next 10 minutes to climb back into contention. Trailing 49-31, the Golden Eagles scored 11 straight points to close to within seven. Brokenbrough got the surge started with a three-point play and Munzon and Martin followed with consecutive 3-pointers to make it 49-40. After a Brokenbrough layup, the Golden Eagles were down just 49-42.

The Golden Eagles, though, didn't score again for nearly six minutes before a steal and layup by Martin made it 52-44 with 1:17 to go. Those were the last points for the Golden Eagles, though, and Sonoma State put the contest out of reach at the free-throw line.

Cal State L.A. will return to action with a road game at San Francisco State on Saturday.