LOS ANGELES, Calif. – The CSUSB Coyotes held Cal State LA to 11 second-half points on the road on Thursday night in a 71-40 win.

The Yotes led by 11 at halftime and Naradain James finished with a team-high 28 points, hitting nine of his 14 shots.  Malik Rhodes continued his excellent play with 17, and Justice Green scored 10.  Andres Villa grabbed 10 boards, as the Yotes led 53-34 on the glass.  CSUSB held the Golden Eagles to under 32 percent shooting from three and from the field, and scored 32 points in the paint compared to 10 for CSULA.

Cal State LA led 22-21 to the 7:24 mark of the first half, but the Coyotes finished the half on a 19-7 run with back-to-back threes from Rhodes.  The first seven minutes of the second half saw nine-straight points from the Yotes and CSUSB continued to expand their lead with excellent defense as the half wore on.

"The guys were really focused on the defensive end tonight and it was the best defensive performance we've put together this year," head coach Andy Newman said.  "I am really proud of the effort and discipline we showed.  We shared the ball extremely well on the offensive end and it was truly a glimpse into how good we can be when we play for each other."

The Coyotes (11-6, 7-4 CCAA) have won six of their last seven CCAA contests and will look for some separation in the standings from CSU Dominguez Hills on Saturday at 3 pm.  Live links are available on CSUSBathletics.com.