Box Score
SAN BERNARDINO — Corey Caston scored 11 points in each half to notch a game-high 22 points to lead Cal State San Bernardino to a 71-57 win over Cal State Stanislaus.
With the win the Coyotes remain in a tie for first place in the California Collegiate Athletic Conference with Humboldt State with a 12-3 conference record and move to 14-5 overall. It was a bittersweet welcome back party for Cal State Stanislaus’ head coach Larry Reynolds who coached the Coyotes from 1997-2002 leading them to three CCAA titles and two West Regional titles (1999, 2002).
Reynolds’ Warriors (9-10, 5-9 CCAA) took one away from CSUSB earlier in the season up in Turlock, Calif., but couldn’t sweep the Coyotes off their home floor.
Caston was uncanny from the floor, hitting 8-of-11 from the floor and 4-for-6 from 3-point range. Devon Davis added 16 points and just needed one more rebound for a double-double. Bryan LeDuc chipped in with six points and nine rebounds.
The Coyotes hit 44.3 percent from the field and took advantage in the paint scoring 34 points in the lane while holding the Warriors to just 20. CSUSB also scored 20 points off of 19 CSUS turnovers.
Frank Monge was the only player in double figures for the Warriors with 11 points. CSUS was held to just 38 percent (19-50) from the floor and 30 percent (3-10) from beyond the arc.
The Coyotes jumped out on a 9-0 run to lead 15-6 early in the first half and eventually took their biggest lead of the half at 25-12 on a Steven Gaston 3-pointer with 6:43 left. The Warriors answered with a 14-1 run to close it 27-26 at the 2:55 mark, but CSUSB responded by scoring seven straight to lead 34-26 and took a 35-30 lead to end the half.
The Warriors tied it early in the second half at 37 and trailed 41-39 with 11:39 left. CSUSB looked to be pulling away, leading 51-42 with 8:22 left, but again Stanislaus pulled within three with six straight points.
That was Caston’s cue.
The junior from Chicago hit consecutive threes to spark a 20-4 run to close out the game. Caston put CSUSB up 57-50 with his two treys before Aaron Hill sank the third straight 3-pointer for the Coyotes. David Jefferson then completed a traditional 3-point play before Gaston buried another three to give the Coyotes a 66-51 lead. Davis hit a layup before Caston completed the run with another deep 3-pointer to give the Coyotes a 71-52 lead with 1:14 left.
The win keeps the Coyotes in a tie for first place in the CCAA with Humboldt State as CSUSB has a quick turnaround by hosting Chico State Saturday at 7:30 p.m.