Brandon Ward became just the sixth player in Otter history to score 30-plus points against NCAA Division II competition when he dropped 31 on Sonoma State Thursday night.
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ROHNERT PARK, Calif. — The Cal State Monterey Bay men's basketball team got a pair of monster performances Thursday night at Sonoma State, but it wasn't enough to stop the red–hot Seawolves from taking an 80-77 victory in the Wolves' Den.
Junior guard
Brandon Ward (Riverside/Woodcrest HS) went off for a career-high 31 points and junior forward
Kevin Loustale (Chico HS/Shasta College) scored 14 points and grabbed a career-high 17 rebounds as to help CSUMB (2-16, 1-13 CCAA) nearly pull off the upset. But Sonoma State made a late run to win for the ninth time in 11 games and improve to 11-8 and 9-6.
Ward was especially lethal from long range, draining a CSUMB record eight three-pointers in 10 attempts to break the
school record of seven set five times previously. He becomes just the seventh Otter to score 30 or more points against NCAA Division II competition.
Loustale, meanwhile, takes the No. 6 spot on the CSUMB single game list with his 17-rebound performance. They were the most rebounds by an Otter since current Otter Assistant Coach
Joe Mitchell grabbed 19 rebounds at Cal State L.A. on Jan. 9, 2009.
Thanks to their herculean efforts, the Otters were in this game until the closing moments. A Loustale layup gave the Otters their final lead at 65-64 with 4:37 remaining. But attrition began to take its toll on the already short-handed Otters.
Derrick Anderson,
James Albert and
Courtland Wharton all fouled out under the deluge of a season-high 30 fouls and a 30-16 foul disparity.
After the Otters took their last lead, Sonoma out-scored CSUMB 7-0 over the ensuing 91 seconds to gain a crack of separation with a 71-65 lead. The Otters wouldn't get closer than three points again.
“We gave the hottest team in the league all they could handle for 39 minutes,” said CSUMB Head Coach
Rob Bishop. “If we continue to give that kind of effort we're going to have some success.”
Sterling Arterberry led three Seawolves in double figures with 19 points to help Sonoma salvage a split of the season series with CSUMB.
CSUMB concludes its four-game roadtrip Saturday at Humboldt State. The Otters return home to host Cal Poly Pomona Feb. 10.
