UAA men’s basketball falls to Cal State San Bernardino in NCAA tournament’s first round

The UAA men’s basketball team had an opportunity to take the lead in the closing seconds but came up short against Cal State San Bernardino 52-49 on Friday in the opening round of the Division II men’s basketball tournament in Los Angeles.

The Seawolves had the ball trailing 50-49 with less than 20 seconds to play, but a turnover prevented a chance at a go-ahead basket. After CSUSB converted a pair of free throws, Hasaan Herrington’s desperation 3-point attempt fell short as the No. 2-seeded Coyotes escaped with the win.

The No. 7-seeded Seawolves finished their season at 22-11 after finishing runner-up in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference tournament and advancing to nationals with an at-large berth.

UAA head coach Rusty Osborne said this team’s hallmark was its tenacity. This was UAA’s first appearance since 2012 in the NCAA tournament and 17th all-time.

“This is one of the most mentally strong groups I’ve been lucky enough to coach, and they showed their character again today,” Osborne said in a statement. “When our shots weren’t going early, and then we kept fighting and fighting and got back in it, our guys were looking at each other saying, ‘This is who we are.’ In the end, it came down to a possession here and there, and credit San Bernardino for making the plays. This team has overcome so much to get to where it got to this season, and I’ll really miss coaching them.”

Neither team had an easy time finding baskets on Friday. UAA made 18 of 46 shots (39.1%) while CSUSB made just 17 of 46 shots (37.0%).

In his final game with the Seawolves, senior Tyson Gilbert led the team with 15 points on 6-for-13 shooting. Gilbert, a first-team all-GNAC player, headed a senior class that included Dathan Satchell, Sawyer Storms, Caleb Larson and Jaron Williams.

“Growing up, I never thought I’d be actually playing in an NCAA Tournament game, and I’m grateful to Coach Osborne and everyone at UAA who believed in me,” Gilbert said in a statement. “I don’t know if I’d even be alive today if it wasn’t for UAA, so to be able to have this kind of season and leave a legacy like the one this team accomplished is extremely special.”

The Coyotes (24-7) built a 19-8 lead in the first half and led 26-21 at halftime. But the Seawolves battled back and tied the game at 34-34 with 12:43 to play.

Gilbert was the only UAA player to reach double figures. Satchell scored nine points off the bench and UAA point guard Dillon Barrientos finished with eight.

Williams had five points and led the team with seven rebounds.

The Coyotes’ Christopher Mitchell led all scorers with 16 points and added 10 rebounds. It was the second matchup of the season for the two teams, with the Coyotes taking a 70-64 win over UAA on Dec. 18 in Honolulu.