College Roundup: Buzzer beater denies Stanislaus men
The Cal State Stanislaus rebounders dominated Cal State San Bernardino – until the final possession.
The Coyotes pulled down two offensive rebounds in the final seconds, leading to Jordan Williams’ basket from close range as time expired Saturday night. Stanislaus was beaten 66-64 at Fitzpatrick Arena in a finish that typified Stanislaus’ fortunes this season.
The Warriors (6-14, 3-10 California Collegiate Athletic Association) outrebounded San Bernardino 37-21 but not when the game was decided. A miss by San Bernardino’s Blake McBride flew past Stanislaus’ powerful Kyle Gouveia and into the hands of Ramon Eaton with 10.4 seconds left. After a timeout, Everett Turner front-rimmed his perimeter shot straight to Williams.
San Bernardino (9-8, 5-7) stole out of town with the win while the Warriors wondered if the basketball gods will smile on them this season.
Taking care of the ball would help. Stanislaus’ rebounding advantage was negated by 17 turnovers resulting in 19 San Bernardino points. The Coyotes committed only four turnovers, leading to two points for the home team.
San Bernardino’s Eli Brown foreshadowed the finish with his 3-pointer in the final seconds of the first half that tied it 34-34. The Coyotes led by eight in the second half, but Stanislaus rallied.
Jaelen Ragsdale’s layup and two free throws drew the Warriors even 62-62. After a San Bernardino hoop, Stanislaus guard Richard Medina drove and scored to tie it 64-64.
Stanislaus forward Vondel Faniel compiled his seventh double-double with 11 points and 13 rebounds. Medina had 12 points, Nate Henry 11 and Gouveia 10.
Turner led San Bernardino with 16 points, followed by Khleem Perkins with 15 and Eaton with 13.
Warrior women drop third straight – The Stanislaus women built a second-half lead but couldn’t hold it and dropped their third straight game, 68-65 to Cal State San Bernardino. The streak tumbled the Warriors from second to third place in the CCAA race.
A 16-4 run, featuring 10 points by Cassidy Sanders-Curry (20 points, 10 rebounds), gave Stanislaus (10-12, 8-5) a seven-point lead. San Bernardino (10-6, 7-5) answered with a 13-point blitz.
A basket by Stanislaus’ Riley Holladay knotted the score 63-63 with 1:16 left. But 24 seconds later, the Coyotes’ Mya Johnson cashed in a go-ahead 3-pointer.
Another sluggish start, a trend this season for Stanislaus, haunted the Warriors. They trailed 22-13 after the first quarter and 37-32 at halftime. They also netted only 4 of 22 shots from behind the arc.
Reana Hardin enjoyed a good night for Stanislaus with 19 points, and Holladay finished with 12 points and four assists. Johnson paced San Bernardino with 17 points and 10 rebounds, and Casie Johnson had 14 points.
MJC returns home – The Modesto Junior College Pirates return home for Big 8 Conference games Tuesday night against Sacramento. The women tip off at 5:30, followed by the men at 7:30.
The MJC men (4-16, 0-8) have dropped 14 straight after two road losses – 75-67 against Diablo Valley and 85-75 to Cosumnes River. The women also dropped both games and are 6-11 overall and 1-7 in league.
Claim Jumpers in second place – Columbia College (10-9, 5-3 Central Valley Conference) moved into a four-way tie for second place in the CVC after back-to-back wins, the latter an 82-79 victory at Reedley on Saturday night.
The Claim Jumpers, bouncing back from losses to Porterville and Merced the previous week, answered with a 74-65 win over West Hills. Twins Ethan and Eli McLaurin tossed in 14 points apiece, but Columbia didn’t take charge until the final five minutes.
Columbia is tied for second place with Merced, Sequoias and Porterville, all two games behind Fresno. Columbia travels to Sequoias on Wednesday night, then welcomes Fresno to Oak Pavilion on Saturday night at 6 o’clock.
This story was originally published January 29, 2017 at 1:41 AM with the headline "College Roundup: Buzzer beater denies Stanislaus men."