COSTA MESA, Calif. - The California State University San Bernardino men's basketball team fell to the Vanguard University Lions Friday afternoon at the Freed Center for Leadership by the score of 85-74.

With the defeat, the Coyotes fall to 2-2 on the season.

The game started with a steal and dunk by redshirt senior Gavin Davis (Carson, Calif.), who then picked up another steal, leading to a layup by senior Walter Hamilton (Lake Center, Miss.). CSUSB would force nine turnovers in the first half, which led to eight Coyote points.

Vanguard would use an 8-0 run to take a 9-4 lead, but CSUSB would respond with an 8-0 run of their own with five points from freshman Zion Paleo (Diamond Bar, Calif.) and a three-pointer by redshirt senior Amound Anderson II (Gardena, Calif.).

Senior Javon Ervin (Tacoma, Wash.) led all Coyotes in scoring in the first half with 11, including three made three-pointers.

The Yotes had solid production from their bench, with senior Court Franklin (Santa Ana, Calif.) and junior Kaylon Mason (Fresno, Calif.) scoring eight apiece and went a perfect 7-for-7 from the field.

The Lions, who went 15-for-24 (62.5 percent) from the field in the first half, would take a 45-43 lead at the intermission. The game was tight in the first half, with neither team holding a lead of more than five points.

CSUSB opened the second half by taking the lead right back off a three-pointer by Hamilton. However, Vanguard responded by hitting a three of their own and eventually took a 65-54 lead at the midway point through the half.

The Coyotes cut the Lions' lead to four at 65-61 after a 7-0 run, which was capped off by a trey by Mason, who finished with a team-high 20 points. 

CSUSB would keep it a four two more times, one off a pair of free throws from Anderson, and from another three by Mason, but it was not enough, and Vanguard pulled away for the victory.

Up next, the Coyotes face off against the seventh-ranked Point Loma Nazarene on Saturday, also in Costa Mesa. Tip-off is slated for 3 p.m.

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