Box Score: Coyotes 75, CSU Stanislaus 66

SAN BERNARDINO -- Momentum is a fickle foe in the game of basketball. Just ask Cal State San Bernardino men's basketball coach Jeff Oliver.

Oliver saw his Coyotes come out on fire in the second half, triggering a 21-3 run to open the first five minutes.
 
And just like that, a 19-point lead evaporated to just two points on the strength of Cal State Stanislaus' 24-7 answer.

But down the stretch, the Coyotes were the ones making bigger plays and earned a 75-66 victory over visiting CSUS before a crowd of 537 inside Coussoulis Arena.

The victory was a milestone for Oliver, who won his 100th home game in his eight-plus years at the helm, and this one came against his mentor, Warriors coach Larry Reynolds, who coached five years at CSUSB and hired Oliver as his assistant.

When Reynolds left CSUSB for Division I Long Beach State, Oliver earned the head coaching job and the success that Reynolds built has continued and flourished for the 38-year old Oliver. He improved his home record to 100-12 all-time.

The Coyotes owned a 27-26 halftime lead and got going in a heartbeat when senior Corey Caston hit five straight points and senior Aaron Hill scored three 3-pointers in that pivotal run. After Robbie Robinson hit two free throws, Caston added a 3-pointer of his own and CSUSB led 48-29 with 15:19 left.

After the media time out, sophomore Marcus Lever, son of former NBA All-Star Lafayette "Fat" Lever, hit a 3-pointer and the Warriors cut the Coyotes lead to 53-42 on Dan Daviess' layup with 12:05 left.

David Jefferson stopped the run momentarily with a jumper, but Evan Scott's layup began a 9-0 run and all of a sudden, CSUSB led 55-53 with 8:21 left.

The Coyotes stopped the run on Jefferson's jumper with 7:57 left, pushing CSUSB up 57-53. The Warriors never got closer than three points on four separate occasions.

Leading 65-62 with 2:53 left, Caston forced a turnover with a steal on Dwight Jones and was fouled. He hit both free throws, and after Lever was called for an offensive foul, the Caston passed the ball to Ryan Kinney on the right wing. The senior buried a 3-pointer and CSUSB led 70-62 with 1:36 left.

Hill led the Coyotes in scoring with 19 including 13 in the second half. Caston had 17 -- 14 in the second half.

Both guards had five assists each and Caston had three steals as the Coyotes were 23-of-50 from the field (46 percent).

CSUS, which shot 54.5 percent, was led by Evan Scott's 14 points.

The Coyotes, now 8-4 overall and 6-2 in the CCAA, travel to Pomona to take on defending NCAA champion Cal Poly Pomona on Tuesday night. The Broncos are 6-6 overall and 3-5 in the CCAA after earning a home sweep over CSUS and Chico State this weekend.