SAN BERNARDINO, Calif. – The California State University San Bernardino men's basketball team pulled away for an 83–64 victory over Chico State Saturday afternoon in CCAA action at Coussoulis Arena.
With the win, the Coyotes improve to 14-13 overall and 11-9 in conference play.
Before the game, four Cal State San Bernardino seniors were honored as they played in their final regular season home game at Coussoulis Arena. Gavin Davis (Carson, Calif.), Court Franklin (Santa Ana, Calif.), Amound Anderson II (Gardena, Calif.), and Walter Hamilton (Lake Center, Miss.) were joined on the court by their friends and family for the pregame ceremony.
CSUSB led 40-39 at halftime after a back-and-forth opening period that featured 11 ties and nine lead changes. Freshman Zion Paleo (Diamond Bar, Calif.) provided an early spark, knocking down three first-half triples, while sophomore Aidan Fowler (San Clemente, Calif.) attacked the mid-range and finished the half with multiple tough jumpers to keep the Coyotes in front.
The game turned decisively in the second half. After Chico trimmed the margin to one at 48-47, CSUSB responded with a dominant run. Fowler buried back-to-back three-pointers to ignite an 11-2 stretch, and Anderson added a three of his own to extend the lead to double digits. The Coyotes pushed their advantage to as many as 22 points in the closing minutes as they outscored the Wildcats 43-25 after the break.
Fowler led all scorers with 23 points on 8-of-12 shooting, including 5-of-7 from beyond the arc. Paleo finished with 15 points, hitting 3-of-4 from three and a perfect 4-for-4 at the free-throw line. Anderson added nine points and six rebounds, while Franklin contributed eight points and seven rebounds off the bench.
Hamilton provided key interior minutes with eight points and three rebounds, and Davis added six points and five assists as the Coyotes shot 50.9 percent from the field and an impressive 60 percent from three-point range for the game.
CSUSB also dominated the glass, outrebounding Chico State 36-24 and holding the Wildcats to 34.5 percent shooting in the second half.
The Coyotes will continue CCAA play on Thursday with a trip to Cal State Los Angeles. Tip-off is slated for 7:30 p.m.
#GoYotes
