By Michelle Gardner
Staff Writer
SAN BERNARDINO The Cal State San Bernardino men put their unbeaten record and lofty state ranking on the line again tonight but this time they will do so against an unfamiliar foe.
NAIA contender Azusa Pacific will march into Coussoulis Arena for a 7:30 p.m. contest. While the game wont factor into the all-important regional rankings since the Cougars (5-4) are not a Division II school, it is counted in the overall record used for national ranking purposes.
Coach Jeff Oliver wont take this game any differently however.
It may not count in the region but were not taking it any differently than a conference game, he said. Were going to go out there and try to win, whether it takes playing 12 guys, or shortening the bench and playing eight.
The No. 6 Coyotes (7-0) have been idle for the last two weeks but swept Monterey Bay and San Francisco State to start CCAA play on Nov. 30. The team has been solid on defense, allowing an average of just 58 points a game and forcing an average of 19 turnovers. Now Oliver and assistant Paul Trevor have been focusing on offense where the Coyotes have struggled a bit. The bright spot is that the team has not been beaten despite being inconsistent there.
I thought we made a lot of progress there the last two games, said Oliver, the most successful coach in the programs history. But we have to keep fine-tuning. Even though we have gotten through unscathed, we know we have tougher games ahead of us.
Unlike in years past, Oliver has used the same starting lineup in six of the seven games. That quintet includes senior guards Lance Ortiz (13.3 ppg, 5.3 apg) and Marlon Pierce (9.7 ppg, 4.7 rpg, 4.4 apg), junior guard-forward Renardo Bass, senior forward David Reichel (7.7 ppg) and senior center Michael Earl (10.9 ppg, 5.9 rpg).
Junior guard Steve Gaston has provided a spark off the bench, scoring 15 in the Coyotes last contest.
The Coyotes will also be bolstered by the return of 6-foot-5 senior forward-center Joseph Tillman. He had only one quarter of eligibility remaining so he sat out the fall but is now able to play with the posting of grades this week.
Azuza Pacific, which competes in the Golden State Athletic Conference, is coming off a 29-7 mark in 2006-2007. They are just above .500 this season despite boasting a roster that includes five Division I bouncebacks.
Among those is Upland High School product Todd Martin (9.3 ppg, 4.7 rpg), a 6-7 senior forward who came over from Troy State after his sophomore year. Other key players are 6-5 senior Davon Roberts (13.3 ppg, 6 rpg), who played previously at Sacramento State, and 6-2 sophomore guard Mike Danielian (12.3 ppg), who moved over from Cal State Fullerton.
The Cougars are directed by first-year coach Justin Leslie who had been the top assistant the last five years and played for that head coach Bill Odell.
Anyone that thinks this is going to be an easy game because it isnt a CCAA school is wrong, Oliver said. They play in a very good conference. Those top teams are just as good as the better teams in ours.
The Coyotes will then turn their attention back to Division II play with games Tuesday and Wednesday against Central Washington and Western Washington in the Great West Shootout in Las Vegas.
The next three games will not be aired on radio but are available on the Internet through the Coyotes athletic websight at http://athletics.csusb.edu.
