SAN DIEGO, Calif. – The CSUSB Coyotes protected their first half lead and defeated Seattle Pacific on Saturday night on the campus of Point Loma, 79-72.

Garrett Baggett led the charge with 23 points, going nine-of-nine from the line.  Naradain James added 21, going nine-of-12 from the field.  Andres Villa joined them in double figures with 14 points and Daytone Jennings scored 16 with eight boards to lead CSUSB.  The Yotes shot 50 percent in the first half and 46.7 percent on the game, as they held SPU to 40.4 percent from the field and four less free throws.

The game was tight early but a jumper from Jennings at 11:06 gave CSUSB the 17-9 edge.  They extended that lead to double-digits, 24-14, on free throws from Villa with seven minutes left in the half.  SPU came back to tie the game at 26, but over the final four minutes of the first half CSUSB finished on a 15-7 run.  Through the first 10 minutes of the second half, the lead hit 10 twice and dipped as low as two, but by the 6:14 mark the Coyotes led 58-48 on a steal by Tyrell Henderson and layup from Baggett.  The lead expanded to 13 and CSUSB salted the game away at the line.

"I am really proud of our guys tonight as it was a true team effort on both ends of the floor," head coach Andy Newman said.  "We saw a glimpse of how good we can be when we play together both defensively and offensively.  It was fun to watch and be a part of."

The Yotes led on the boards 41-35 and dominated in the paint, 48-22.  They held SPU to no fastbreak points, scored eight themselves, and forced 16 turnovers for 25 points. 

The Coyotes (3-2) return home on Thursday for their conference home opener against Cal State LA at 7:30 pm.  Live links are available on csusbathletics.com.