SAN BERNARDINO (January 18, 2018) — A furious second-half rally nearly paid off for the Coyotes, who were defeated 74-71 to Cal State LA on Faculty Appreciation Night on Thursday at Coussoulis Arena.
 
The second half
CSUSB, which trailed 47-29 with 18:56 remaining in the game, clawed back thanks to the efforts of T.A. Dixon and Ajon Efferson. Dixon scored 19 second-half points and Efferson had 15 in the final half and the Coyotes were back in the game. A pair of free throws from Dixon put the Coyotes ahead 61-60 with 7:02 left. The game was tied four times down the stretch before CSULA pulled out the win.
 
The final two minutes
Tied at 71-71 after CSUSB freshman Latrell Standifer's dunk with 2:46, CSUSB had a shot for the lead when it had possession with 1:47 left. An offensive foul against Efferson gave CSULA a shot, and freshman Garrett Carter hit layup and secured the and-one. He hit the free throw and the Golden Eagles led 74-71 with 1:39 left. A Dixon turnover gave CSULA possession, but it missed on two three-point attempts and the Coyotes had the ball with 25 seconds. For 19 seconds, the Coyotes did not get into an offensive flow, and called time out with four seconds left. CSULA fouled Dorian Butler before a three-point shot. He missed the front end, then purposely drew hard iron on the second with hopes that a rebound would kick out for a 3-pointer. CSULA earned the rebound and ran out the clock.
 
Nice job T.A.
Dixon finished 8 of 9 shooting with two 3's and was 7 of 7 from the line. He also had six rebounds with a season-high 25 points.
 
Efferson from afar
Efferson had four of the Coyotes' eight 3-pointers and scored 20 points.
 
Nice energy Latrelle
Standifer produced in his 11 minutes. He was 3 of 4 from the line and the late-moment dunk gave him five points.
 
First half, all CSULA
The Golden Eagles shot 53.1 percent from the floor in the opening half and hit eight 3-pointers. They had balanced scoring with five in double figures with Sean Estes leading with 12.
 
The records
CSUSB takes a 7-10 overall record and 5-8 CCAA slate into Saturday night's home game against Cal State Dominguez Hills. CSULA, which snapped its seven-game losing streak, improved to 8-10, 4-9. The Golden Eagles last won against CSUSB on Dec. 14, 79-71.

Thank you faculty
The following faculty were honored in a pregame ceremony and greeted by Senior Associate Athletics Director Morgan Walker and Provost Dr. Shari McMahon — Amy Wheeler (T.A. Dixon, Elijah Brown, Justin Frazier), Donna Cooley (Ajon Efferson) and Amy Wassing (Dorian Butler).