The Golden Eagles men’s basketball team continued their home winning streak following back-to-back wins against Chico State on Jan. 18, and Cal Poly Humboldt on Jan. 20. It is now 6-0 at home and 14-5 on the season. The wins come after a road loss to San Francisco State, which ended the seven-game streak, but the Golden Eagles were able to bounce back with their home court advantage.
Chico State scored the first point of the game, but Cal State LA quickly tied it and soon took the lead and never let it go. The Golden Eagles held a 12-point lead at one point, but ended the first half with a 47-42 score as Chico went on a 8-2 run to end the first half. Cal State LA Head Coach Jim Saia highlighted Chico State’s guard Joshua Hamilton, who scored back-to-back 3-pointers and two free throws to score Chico’s last eight points of the half.
“They got some good players and I didn’t think the defense was bad but sometimes the offense is better,” Saia said.
Cal State LA came out strong in the second half where they held a 16-point lead at one point. Their lead, however, diminished as the game went on, but Cal State LA was able to hold off Chico in a 86-80 victory. Second-year forward A’Jahni Levias led the scoring with 14 points, 5-6 in field goals, in his 15 minutes off the bench and graduate student Eche Okeke had a double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds. Coach Saia credited the bench, who outscored Chico 41-23.
“Our bench outscored theirs,” Saia said. “Our bench gives us a lot of points so it’s a complete victory so we’re proud of those guys.”
Though it was a close game with Chico State, Cal State LA held a lead over Cal Poly Humboldt nearly the entire game.
The first eight minutes of the game was slow from both sides as neither team sank many shots and it was a 12-10 game in favor of the Golden Eagles. After the eight minute mark, the Golden Eagles found their groove and went on a massive run that put them up 41-23 to end the half. The Golden Eagles continued their dominance in the second half, going up by 27 points with just over five minutes played in the half. Cal Poly Humboldt was eventually able to lower it to a 14-point lead, but ultimately the Golden Eagles came out victorious with a 81-59 win.
Okeke led the scoring in the game against Humboldt with 17 points. Freshman guard Kris Krause was perfect on the night, going 3-3 in field goals and scoring 11 total points in the 16 minutes he played. Krause called his amount of playing time a blessing and isn’t taking any of it for granted, and said he could work on his defense. Krause also acknowledged their perfect home streak.
“We always try to win everyday, but a home game especially, we don’t want to let any fans down,” said Krause.
Something that’s helped the Golden Eagles maintain a perfect home record so far is how many points per game (ppg) they have at home versus away. Looking only at the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) conference games, the defense has been consistent, allowing an average of 70.67 ppg at home and 71.67 ppg away. The offense is averaging 86.3 ppg at home compared to 73.83 ppg in away games and the main difference is their field goal percentage.
At home, the Golden Eagles are averaging 48.92% field goals made, while on the road it drops to 42.53%. The drop can be attributed to points in the paint, points off turnovers, and fast break points. The Golden Eagles average 34 points in the paint at home, compared to 23.67 on the road. Points off turnovers at home averages out to 26.33 points, compared to 17.83 points in away games. Fast break points dropped from an average of 19 points at home, to 11.67 away.
The Golden Eagles have two road games coming up in their schedule before finally heading back home on Feb. 8 to face San Francisco State.
