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2013 MBB Notebook Graphic - Loustale
Vernon McKnight

Otters Looking To Close Season In Style This Week

| By: By Kevin Gilmore
Kevin Loustale is one of five Otters seniors who will be playing their final collegiate games this week.

Men host Cal State Stanislaus and Chico State to wrap up the 2012-13 schedule





SEASIDE, Calif. -- The Cal State Monterey Bay men's basketball team will close the 2012-13 season with a pair of home games this week against Cal State Stanislaus (Thursday) and Chico State (Friday). Both games tipoff at 7:30 p.m. as the nightcap of men's/women's doubleheader action.

A reminder that senior night is Friday with the Otters bidding adieu to five seniors: James Albert, Derrick Anderson, Kevin Loustale, Geoff McIntosh and Brandon Ward. Be sure to arrive early Friday to help us honor their contributions to the CSUMB program.

As always, Otters fans can listen over the airwaves on KRXA 540 AM or online at www.OtterAthletics.com. Rob Ponce and Ian Hosford will call all of the action live from courtside. Live video will also be available both days at www.OtterAthletics.com.



SCOUTING THE WARRIORS (9–15, 6–14 CCAA): Cal State Stanislaus' first loss to CSUMB on Jan. 26 began a season–worst five–game skid for the Warriors that ended with an impressive sweep of UCSD and San Bernardino on Feb. 15–16. But the Warriors closed their home schedule and enter Thursday's game coming off tough losses to Cal State L.A. (50–56) and Cal State Dominguez Hills (54–63). Seniors Marcus Walters and Nick Hodge lead a balanced Warrior scoring ledger at 11.8 and 11.0 points per game respectively. Hodge and senior forward Ray Mitchell share high rebound honors at 5.3 rebounds per game.

WHEN LAST WE MET: The Otters posted a big road win in Turlock on Jan. 26 that history will more likely remember as the night Brandon Ward (Riverside/Woodcrest HS) broke the CSUMB career scoring record than for its 78–74 CSUMB win. The game was close throughout, highlighted by 11 ties and 19 lead changes. The Otters didn't take the leead for good until an Alex Fertig (Fresno/Buchanan HS) three ball put them ahead to stay with 3:04 remaining. Fertig registered his sixth 20–point game of the season to lead the offense while Kevin Loustale (Chico/Shasta College) added an 11–point, 15–rebound double–double. Marcus Walters led three Warriors in double figures with 16 points.

WHEN LAST WE PLAYED: Spent from their grueling overtime loss in San Bernardino the previous night, the Otters stayed close in the first half but faded in the second half of an 82–67 loss at UC San Diego on Feb. 23. CSUMB got 22 points from Brandon Ward and 10 points from Coley Apsay (Santa Clarita/Canyon HS), but it wasn't enough to overcome five Tritons in double figures.

CHAIRMEN OF THE BOARDS, PART I: CSUMB grabbed a season–high 56 rebounds Friday night at Cal State San Bernardino. It equals the most rebounds ever against an NCAA Division II opponent (56 vs. Cal State Dominguez Hills on Mar. 4, 2006) and trails only the 59 rebounds pulled down against Hope International (Nov. 13, 1998) on the CSUMB all–time list.

CHAIRMEN OF THE BOARDS, PART II: Kevin Loustale and Kris Gallop (Vallejo/Los Medanos College) became the first Otters to record double figure rebounds in the same game this season when they grabbed 17 and 11 boards respectively last night at San Bernardino. The last time two Otters accomplished the feat in one game, you ask? It was Kevin Loustale (11) and Derrick Anderson (10) vs. UC San Diego on Feb. 17, 2012. 

NOT CHAIRMEN OF THE BOARDS: The Otters followed Friday's domination of the glass by pulling down a season–low 23 rebounds at UC San Diego. It was CSUMB's lowest rebounding total in 39 games dating back to January of 2012.

THE SIX SHOOTERS: The Otters tied a school record by placing six scorers in double figures in the 108–100 loss at Humboldt State on Feb. 14. Alex Fertig led CSUMB with 18 points. Joining him in double figures were Coley Apsay (Santa Clarita/Canyon HS) with 15; Kris Gallop (Vallejo/Los Medanos College) and Kevin Loustale (Chico/Shasta College) with 14 each; and Julian Ball and Brandon Ward with 11 points apiece.

The only previous time six Otters reached double figures in one game came in a 122–118 triple overtime loss at Cal State L.A. on Jan. 18, 2008. The high scorers that game were: D'Shon Cannon (37), Augie Johnston (24), Joe Mitchell (24), Juston Willis (13), Steve Becker (11) and Jose Sanchez (10).

WARD APPROACHES 1,200 CAREER POINTS: With CSUMB's career scoring record now secure, Brandon Ward will spend the balance of his senior season putting space between himself and any would–be pursuers in the CSUMB record book. He broke the previous record held by Matt Dalhamer of 1,075 in the Jan. 26 win at Cal State Stanislaus. With 19 points Feb. 2 vs. Sonoma State, Ward eclipsed the 1,100 point barrier. His 45–point weekend brought his career total to 1,996 as he continues to put distance between himself and any future challengers.

THE FERTIG 400: It might not happen overnight, but Brandon Ward may soon find himself looking over his shoulder at Alex Fertig chasing him up the scoring leaderboard. Fertig enters the tonight's game vs. Cal State Stanislaus with 365 points, already the CSUMB record for points in one season by a true freshman. That mark is good for No. 18 on the Otter single–season scoring list. At his current pace, he will finish the season with 392 points, which would place him at No. 16 on the list.

ON THE BLOCKS: Junior forward Kris Gallop (Vallejo/Los Medanos College) posted a team season–high four blocks Jan. 5 at Cal State L.A. That mark is tied for the No. 4 spot in the CSUMB record book and were the most blocks since Andrew Castro blocked five shots in a win at Cal Poly SLO on Nov. 18, 2010. He added his 23rd block last week at San Bernardino to pass Will Chavarin (1999) for No. 5 on the CSUMB single–season list.

FERTIG AMONG CCAA SCORING LEADERS: Freshman guard Alex Fertig entered the week ranked No. 8 among the CCAA scoring leaders at 13.5 points per game. He is the only freshman ranked in the top 25 (Cal State L.A. freshman guard Joshua Munzon in No. 29 at 9.3 ppg).

SO CLOSE… The Otters just missed scoring their most points in a regulation conference game during the Rob Bishop era by hanging 98 points on Cal State East Bay Dec. 30. The high water mark is 99 points in a 99–88 win at Cal State Stanislaus on Jan. 30, 2009. The 98 points were the third most scored in a regulation CCAA game in Otter history, trailing only the aforementioned game at Stanislaus and 107 points (also at Stanislaus) on Jan. 19, 2007.

DOUBLE TROUBLE: By scoring 180 points versus Academy of Art (82) and Cal State East Bay (98), the Otters set a school record for points in consecutive regulation wins over NCAA Division II competition. The 2006–07 Otters scored 188 points in consecutive games versus Chico State (99) and Cal State Stanislaus (89), but fell in the Stanislaus game, 96–89.

THE WARD GIVETH… Brandon Ward's two assists at UC San Diego Saturday night give him 247 career assists, good for No. 2 in the CSUMB record book. D'Shon Cannon owns the top spot with 371 assists from 2006–08.

…AND THE WARD TAKETH AWAY: Brandon Ward continues his quest for the CSUMB career steals record, entering the Cal State Stanislaus game in the No. 3 spot with 87 steals. Joe Mitchell holds the record with 91 steals.

LARGE MARGINS, HOME EDITION: The season–opening 104–52 win over Pacifica University set a CSUMB record for largest margin of victory (52 points) in an Otter home win. Last night, CSUMB's 78–58 win over Colorado Christian was the largest margin of victory in a road game during the Road Bishop era at CSUMB. The previous record was 19 points in an 83–64 win at Cal State East Bay on Feb. 3, 2011.

LARGE MARGINS, ROAD EDITION: Nov. 16th's 78–58 win over Colorado Christian was the largest margin of victory (20 points) in a road game in the Rob Bishop era of Otter basketball.

POPPING THE DOUBLE–DOUBLE BUBBLE: Senior forward Kevin Loustale became the first Otter men's player to record a double–double this season when he went for 10 points and 10 rebounds Jan. 19 versus San Bernardino. It was the first double–double for an Otter since Loustale (14 & 11) and Derrick Anderson (Pittsburg HS) (12 & 10) each turned the trick against UCSD on Feb. 17, 2012. For good measure, Loustale added his second double–double (11 & 15) Jan. 26 at Stanislaus.

NOW THAT'S SMARTS: After leading the conference with three members of the CCAA All–Academic team in 2011, the Otter men's basketball team built on that success by placing four players on that team in 2012: James Albert, Geoff McIntosh, Brandon Ward and Troy Watkins. CSUMB's seven CCAA All–Academic team members over the last two seasons are tops among the 12 conference schools. Ward, in fact, is a three–year member of the CCAA All–Academic team.

FERTIG NAMED TO ALL–TOURNAMENT TEAM: Freshman guard Alex Fertig (Fresno/Buchanan HS) picked up the first piece of hardware for the Otters this season, earning All–Tournament recognition at the GCI Alaska Invitational. He averaged 18.7 points per game over the weekend, including CSUMB's first 20–point games of the season with 24 vs. Colorado Christian and 21 vs. Oklahoma Panhandle State.

TAKE THEM, THEY'RE FREE: The Otters finished the 2011–12 campaign with an aggregate 71.3 percentage effort from the free–throw line. That mark ranked No. 5 in CSUMB record book and marked the sixth consecutive season the Otters shot at least 71 percent from the charity stripe.

SIT THIS ONE OUT: Freshman Tim Darkwa will practice with the team but is expected to redshirt the 2012–13 season.



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