Results tagged “Cal State San Bernardino men's basketball” from College Sports CCAA

Cal State men crush Stanislaus

By Michelle Gardner on February 19, 2008 1:27 PM | | Comments (0)

By Michelle Gardner

Staff Writer

Pity the Cal State Stanislaus men’s basketball team.
It was the Warriors with the misfortune of squaring off against an angry Cal State San Bernardino team that was embarrassed by lowly Chico State 24 hours earlier.

The Coyotes looked more like their normal selves, walloping the visiting Warriors 89-68 Saturday at Coussoulis Arena. The win put  the Coyotes (19-5, 12-4) back in first place by a game over UC San Diego and Humboldt State.

Cal State coach Jeff Oliver admitted Friday’s 63-60 loss was the most disappointing in his six-year tenure. The Wildcats were last in the 11-team conference, on an 11-game losing streak, winless on the road and had beaten only two Division II teams this season.

It was a definite blow to the storied program which is less than a year removed from an appearance in the national semifinal.

“My mind still isn’t quite right,” Oliver said. “I still can’t stop playing that one through my mind. It will sit with me for quite some time. But it wasn ice to come back the way we did.”


Players were thinking about it too.

“It was real quite in the shootaround today,” senior point guard Marlon Pierce said. “It was like everyone saw a ghost. We couldn’t believe that happened.”

The host team sent a message from the opening tip, starting the game with an 8-0 run. The Coyotes also led 24-4 nine minutes into the contest after a 3-pointer by David Reichel.

The Warriors (5-18, 4-12) made a run to cut it to 10 at 27-17 but the Coyotes finished the half with a 19-4 and held a commanding 46-21 cushion at the intermission.

“The energy was key,” senior Lance Ortiz added. “We came out quickly and sent a message. Getting off to a good start helped us settle down.”

Several statistics told the story as the No. 18 Coyotes vaunted defense forced 16 turnovers and held the Warriors to 32 percent (8-for-25) shooting from the field. The visitors ended up with 25 turnovers, with the Coyotes ceasing the full-court pressure in the last 15 minutes.

The Coyotes shot 47.2 percent (17-for-36) and had 14 assists with six just turnovers. The ended up 47.1 percent (32-for-68) for the game with Ortiz tallying 17 with eight assists, Pierce 15 and seldom-used reserve Ryan Kinney chipping in with a carfeer high 12.

The Coyotes led by as many as 34 at 65-31 afer a shot by Renardo Bass with 12 minutes left. The game got a little ragged after that with both teams substituting freely. Oliver used 15 players, 11 of whom figured in the scoring.

“Today it didn’t matter who it was,” Pierce added. “It could have been San Diego, Humboldt, whoever. We were on a mission.”

The Coyotes remain at home to face local rival Cal Poly Pomona Thursday. Cal State lost to their nemesis 66-6 in overtime earlier this season.

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Coyotes come from behind to beat Western Washington 71-65

By Michelle Gardner on December 21, 2007 3:48 PM | | Comments (0)

By Michelle Gardner

Staff Writer

LAS VEGAS _ The Cal State San Bernardino men's basketball team has
not been invited back to the Great Western Shootout in Las Vegas. The
fact the Coyotes keep beating up on the host teams might have
something to do with it.

The No. 10 Coyotes turned in another strong performance Wednesday
night, upending Western Washington 71-65 at the Centennial Hills
Center behind the play of tournament Most Valuable Player Michael
Earl. That came one night after they routed the other host team
Central Washington 83-60.

``They said there was some sort of miscommunication. They didn't
think we wanted to come back,'' said Oliver, who will be looking to
start his own event to be held the same event next year.

Not only have the Coyotes beaten both teams in successive years.
They also beat Western Washington in its season opener in another
tournament in Seattle in early Novemeber. The Coyotes (9-1) have
handed the Vikings (7-2) both losses.

But both teams played better basketball in the most recent meeting.
The Vikings came out quicker and were up by 13 at 32-19 with 8:33 to
go. It was Fontana native Ira Graham igniting the charge with 16 of
his 22 in the opening half.

``We seem to have some lapses and tonight we started with one,''
Earl said. ``They came out pretty amped up and we weren't. We didn't
come out with the same energy we had. But we thought if we could stay
close we would get them once we settled down and started playing our
game.''

The Coyotes battled back and only trailed by three at the half,
37-34.

It was nip and tuck the rest of the way with each team's biggest
lead of the half being three points. The game was knotted five times,
the last at 65 with 1:51 to go after two free throws by Lance Ortiz.

Cal State went up for good moments later on a driving layup by
Marlon Pierce with 1:27 to go. On the ensuing possession Graham took
the ball and dribbled baseline but was called for stepping on the end
line with 1:01 left.

``I really thought I was pushed out,'' said Graham, who made the
six-player all-tournament team. ``But that's not an excuse. That's
how basketball goes. We just made some mistakes dwn the stretch that
hurt us.''

The Coyotes capitalized with Ortiz working time off the clock, then
going baseline for a layup that gave Cal State a 69-65 edge with 24
seconds remaining.

Western Washington's Harold McAllister set up for a 3-pointer on
the next Vikings possession but his shot was batted away by Jason
Gilzene with 13 seconds left. Ortiz knocked down a couple of free
throws to put the game away.

Oliver appreciated coming out on top against a quality team in a
tightly-contestd game. He also liked the way his team bounced back
after being dealt a loss by NAIA Azusa Pacific on Friday.

``It was the wakeup call we needed,'' he said. ``I felt like we
were regressing, not progressing and getting too complacent.
Sometimes I think this team thinks it's going to be too easy and
that's a mentality a team should never have or comes back to bit you
in the butt.''

Earl tallied a team-high 16 points with six blocks. Pierce had 10,
with eight rebounds, four steals and three assists to earn an
all-tournament spot. Scoring was balanced after that with Reggie
Brown and Renardo Bass and Ortiz chipping in with eight apiece.
livcer used 11 players and 10 figured in the scoring.

Western shot 49 percent (25-for-51) while Cal State was slightly
worse at 45.5 (25-for-55). It made up for that by going 18-for-22
from the free-throw line. The Coyotes were outrebounded 35-27 but
forced 19 turnovers while making only nine.

``We really don't have one person that has to be our go-to player.
We have a lot of options,'' Earl said. ``That is good for us because
no one has to have that pressure. We're confident in each other.''

Oliver said he believed that Cal Poly Pomona was invited back to the CCAA vs. GNAC event with Cal State Stanislaus, traditionally a middle tier team, replacing the Coyotes.




 

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Cal State men punish Central Washington 83-60

By Michelle Gardner on December 21, 2007 3:41 PM | | Comments (0)


By Michelle Gardner

Staff Writer

LAS VEGAS - The last thing Cal State San Bernardino men's
basketball coach Jeff Oliver wanted was a shootout. His team has not
played well on the offensive end of the floor and opponent Central
Washington came in averaging 92.8 points.

It was indeed a shootout but only one team participated as the
Coyotes cruised past the Wildcats 83-60 Tuesday in the Great Western
Shootout at the Centennial Hills Center.

The defense was as tenacious as always. But it was one of the more
complete efforts for the No. 10 Coyotes this season as they hit 50.8
percent from the field and came within a point of their season high.
But the perfectionist in Oliver still came out despite the
comfortable win.

``It was a great defensive effort. For us to guard a team like that
and to limit them like we did was fantastic,'' he said.
``Offensively, we're doing better but it was far from good. Maybe I'm
just a nitpicker.''

The point total was a season low for the Wildcats (3-3) and matched
their season low of a year ago. It was also their least productive
outing since 2004 when they were held to 47 once.

The Coyotes forced 22 turnovers and held their foe to 34 percent
(16-for-47) from the field. Central had 24 points from the free-throw
line so they got just 36 from the field.

``I thought they were going to be better than that, just by the
numbers they were putting up,'' senior center Michael Earl said.
``But I guess you can contribute that to us playing well.''

Cal State blew the game open in the second half. It was even at 12
but the Coyotes tallied 10 of the next 12 points, surging out to a
24-14 lead on a driving layup by Marlon Pierce. The first half ended
with the same point differential, the Coyotes up 39-29.

The Coyotes started the second half the way they ended the first.
Reggie Brown hit a 3-pointer to give the Coyotes a 45-30 lead three
minutes into the second half and Steve Gaston drained one the next
trip down the floor to give Cal State a 48-30 lead that just got
bigger.

Oliver used 15 players and 12 of those scored. Earl led the way
with 19, on 8-for-9 shooting from the field despite being slowed this
week by the flu.

Pierce and Lance Ortiz also came up big. Pierce totaled 12 with
five assists, four rebounds and two steals while Ortiz managed 11
with seven assists and four steals. The Coyotes chalked up 21 assists
as a team.

There were also some big contributors off the bench as Philip Jones
grabbed seven rebounds. Gaston added seven points, five assists and
two steals.

All said the team came off Friday's 78-75 overtime loss to NAIA
Azusa Pacific more focused.

``We worked on passing the ball hard. We had gotten
lackadaisical and were not getting guys open,'' Ortiz said. ``We came
in here focused, ready to bounce back because we knew these were big
games.''

The Coyotes play their second game of the tournament at 5 tonight
against Western Washington (7-1) which turned back Cal Poly Pomona
73-64 earlier in the day. Western Washington's only loss this season
was to Cal State in the season opener played in Seattle.



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Student-athlete profile - Marlon Pierce, Cal State San Bernardino basketball

By Michelle Gardner on December 17, 2007 6:00 PM | | Comments (0)

MARLON PIERCE
Cal State San Bernardino
Basketball


The lowdown: The 6-foot-2 senior point guard is averaging 10
points, 4.5 rebounds, 4.3 assists and 1.8 steals in helping
the Coyotes to a 7-1 start and No. 6 national ranking. Season-high
thus far has been 22 points against Monterey Bay. Also has a high of
eight rebounds against Western Washington. Role as a junior was more
of a ball distributor but he still averaged 6.5 points, 2.7 rebounds,
2.8 assists and 1.9 steals depite sharing playing time at the
point. Came to the Coyotes from Cuyamaca Community College
in the San Diego area.
Age: 21
Hometown: San Diego
High school: Helix High School, 2004
Major: Commnications
Favorite athlete: Michael Jordan
Role model: My dad (Larry Pierce)
Most memorable sports moment: Winning the 2007 West Regional
championship game last year and winning a CIF championship game my
senior year of high school.
Most embarrassing moment: Disclocating my shoulder my sophomore year
of high school in the last practice of the season.
Last good book you read: The Bible
Favorite movie: American Gangster
Can’t miss TV show: The Wire
Celebrity you most want to meet: Actress Lauren London
Favorite food: Macaroni and cheese, Mexican food (from San Diego taco
shops).
What’s in your CD player/iPod: Jay Z-American Gangster
Other hobbies: Poker, bowling and all other sports
Favorite vacation spot: Las Vegas
Best advice anyone has given you: You’ve got a lot of stuff ahead of
you, don’t let the past get in the way of it (my dad).
Pre-game ritual or superstition: Pray before every game and at
halftime.
What do you want to be doing in five years: Working in sports
broadcasting.

- Compiled by Michelle Gardner

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Cal State men gear up for Azusa Pacific

By Michelle Gardner on December 13, 2007 5:03 PM | | Comments (0)

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 won’t 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 won’t take this game any differently however.


“It may not count in the region but we’re not taking it any differently than a conference game,” he said. “We’re 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 program’s 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 isn’t 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.

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