BOX SCORE

SEASIDE, Calif. — The Cal State Monterey Bay men's basketball team missed a golden opportunity for its signature win of the season, watching two late comebacks by Cal State San Bernardino end in an 84–82 loss Friday night in Coussoulis Arena.

CSUMB got a season–high 23 points from Brandon Ward (Riverside/Woodcrest HS), a career–high 17 rebounds  from Kevin Loustale (Chico/Shasta College) and the first collegiate double–double by Kris Gallop (Vallejo/Los Medanos College), who finished with 12 points and 11 boards.

Led by Loustale and Gallop, the Otters earned a 56–36 rebounding advantage. Their superiority in the paint also earned them 33 trips to the line, but they made just 20 of their 33 free–throw attempts, a statistic that proved to be the difference Friday night.

CSUMB led by as many as 20 points in the second half only to see San Bernardino comeback to tie the game at 75–75 on a Lacy Haddock three–point play with 34 seconds to play. The Otters had a chance to win on the final possession but nearly turned the ball over and barely got a shot off as the horn sounded.

A Coley Apsay (Santa Clarita/Canyon HS) jumper gave CSUMB the first lead of overtime. The Otters kept the lead until consecutive turnovers in the final 69 seconds led to five straight points and the Coyotes' first lead since the game was 42 seconds old.

Down 84–82 with the shot clock off and 28 seconds on the game clock, the Otters milked the clock then earned a chance to tie when Ward drove the lane and drew contact. But he missed both free throws. CSUMB got a final chance to tie or win the game when San Bernardino's Johnny Bell missed a pair from the line with 4.3 seconds remaining, but the Otters couldn't get a good shot off as time expired.

The Otters will conclude their two–game Southern California roadtrip Saturday when they play at UC San Diego.