LOS ANGELES -- Cal State LA's men's basketball team won another thriller Saturday afternoon against Fresno Pacific.
Shacquille Dawkins hit a pair of go-ahead free throws and made a key steal in the waning seconds to help the Golden Eagles outlast the Sunbirds, 86-83, in a non-conference game in University Gym. Cal State LA (3-1) prevailed in a game that saw four lead changes in a wild final minute of play.
Dawkins had 22 points to lead the Golden Eagles, while
Fard Muhammad had 18 points, all of them coming on six 3-pointers. He also had five assists.
Aamondae Coleman had 23 points and 13 rebounds for Fresno Pacific (0-4). Adrian Antunez had 19 points.
Michael Wright had 13 points, four rebounds and seven assists for the Golden Eagles, while
CJ Fisher and
Sean Estes had seven points each.
Cal State LA shot 43.9 percent (29-of-66) and hit 13 of 35 attempts from 3-point range (37.1 percent). Fresno Pacific shot 48.3 percent (28-of-58) and was 8-of-20 from 3-point range.
Cal State LA struggled on the boards and was out-rebounded, 42-29. The Golden Eagles, though, also forced 22 turnovers while committing only 12.
The game was close throughout and the Golden Eagles held a 48-45 halftime lead. Fresno Pacific surged ahead, 65-59, following a three-point play by Nate Kendricks with 12 minutes to go, but the Golden Eagles went on a 9-0 run to erase the deficit.
Michael-Isaiah Ajiboye started the rally with a basket, Dawkins made a layup and
Khalil Williams hit a 3-pointer to put the Golden Eagles ahead, 66-65.
CJ Fisher completed the run with a pair of free throws to make it 68-65.
A basket by Vontay Ott gave the Golden Eagles their biggest lead, 79-72 and Cal State LA still held an 80-74 lead with 3:40 to go. Fresno Pacific, though, went on a 7-0 run to take an 81-80 lead and set the stage for a frantic finish. Dawkins hit a pair of free throws to give Cal State LA an 82-81 lead with 41 seconds to go. Antunez countered with a layup to put Fresno Pacific ahead, 83-82, with 32 seconds left, but Dawkins hit two more free throws to give the Golden Eagles an 84-83 lead. He then made a key strip with eight seconds left and Ajiboye hit a pair of free throws to account for the final margin.
