Stanislaus holds off Sonoma 73-70 to retain share of first place in CCAA

In winning a conference title last year, Cal State Stanislaus proved it could win games played at up-tempo and slow-tempo paces.

On Friday night, the Warriors showed a new skill by beating Sonoma State in a foul fest that had zero tempo.

Stanislaus lost the battle of the foul line for the first time this season but still managed to pull out a 73-70 victory over the Seawolves to remain tied for first place in the California Collegiate Athletic Association.

“It was played in the halfcourt, and we got called for a lot of fouls,” said Stanislaus coach Larry Reynolds. “Usually, it’s us going to the line a lot, but there was no flow to the second half with all the free throws. That’s what happens when the game is called tight and the players don’t adjust to it.”

The Warriors were whistled for 25 fouls and Sonoma cashed them in by hitting 26 of 30 free throws while Stanislaus connected on 14 of 18.

But the bottom line was another Warriors win to improve their record to 10-4 overall and 7-2 in the CCAA, which ties them with Cal Poly Pomona heading into tonight’s home game against San Francisco State. Sonoma fell to 8-5, 5-4.

In addition to their prowess at the foul line, the Seawolves also were sharp from three-point range, hitting 8 of 18 from beyond the arc. The last long-range shot came from guard David Ahren to pull Sonoma within 72-70 with 52.7 seconds left.

Stanislaus, after working the shot clock, missed a three-pointer, but Sonoma missed twice at the other end and was forced to foul Rob Walters with 7.2 seconds left after a rebound.

Walters made one of two free throws, and following a time out the Seawolves couldn’t find the range on a potential tying three-pointer as time ran out.

It was another less-than-artful win for a team that specializes in such masterpieces, but Wes Bartole – who led Stanislaus with 18 points and nine rebounds – knows his team won’t get away with wins often if it puts the opposition on the line 30 times.

“The fouls do make it hard to get into a rhythm at times,” Bartole said. “But when we’re sending them to the foul line so many times, that hurts. That slows the game, and that was to Sonoma’s favor.”

“It was a grinder tonight, and we have another grinder tomorrow night,” Bartole said. “It’s going to be fun.”

Women

Stanislaus 82, Sonoma 69 – Having lost six of seven, the Warriors needed more than tweaks; they needed a new approach. And the Seawolves just happened to be the team in the way when Stanislaus unveiled its platoon system.

With a fresh set of legs taking the court about every three minutes, the Warriors needed only 10 minutes to build their first 15-point lead, a cushion they rode to their first non-overtime victory of more than one point since November.

“It’s something we’ve had, but in going over several strategies we felt that this was one that fits our program best,” said coach Wayman Strickland. “It keeps everybody engaged, and we entered the game with the right sense of urgency. It’s not substituting, it’s reinforcements, and everybody bought in.”

It was an old-fashioned boat race victory for Stanislaus, and every player had the chance to grab an oar.

Camille Roberts of Turlock High and Modesto Junior College had her most productive game as a Warrior, hitting six three-pointers and scoring 22 points.

“It was different and tonight it worked,” Roberts said about the platoon system. “We wanted to press the entire game, and subbing five in, five out allowed us to do that. We needed this win, and now we need to focus on carrying over the energy to the next game, and the next, and the next.”

Jasmine Washington added 16 points and Alysa Valentine 15 as 11 Warriors saw at least 10 minutes of playing time and nine reached the scoring column.

Stanislaus (4-9, 2-7) played a near-flawless first half in running to a 50-31 lead, committing only four turnovers and registering 10 assists on their 19 field goals.

While the scoring pace slowed in the second half as Sonoma willed the game to its preferred pace, the Seawolves (6-7, 4-5) never made any kind of run to challenge the Warriors’ advantage.

“We’re definitely going to stay with the platoon,” Strickland said. “It’s the way to have everybody maximize their effort and focus. We did it pretty efficiently tonight, so hopefully we can turn around and do it again tomorrow.”

This story was originally published January 16, 2015 at 10:17 PM with the headline "Stanislaus holds off Sonoma 73-70 to retain share of first place in CCAA."