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Box score] [
Cal State San Bernardino presser] [
Point Loma presser]
Brandon Knapper's driving layup with less than a minute left proved to be the game-winning basket as Cal State San Bernardino defeated top-seeded Point Loma on the road, 89-83, to win the 2023 NCAA West Regional.
Eddie Davis had 22 points to lead five Yotes in double-figures. He went 8-of-11 from the field while adding three steals and six boards. Knapper had 17 points and a team-leading three 3-pointers.
Darius Mickens recorded his second double-double of the regional with 14 points and a game-high 12 rebounds. All three were named to the all-tournament team.
Mahmoud Fofana came off the bench and just missed a double-double with 14 points (7-of-9) and nine rebounds. CSUSB also got other great contributions off its bench from
Sedrick Altman (9 points, 3 rebs) and others as the Yotes bench outscored Point Loma's 30-3.
D2CCA West Region Player of the Year
Kaden Anderson led PLNU with 27 points. He went 9-of-14 from the field and was a perfect 5-of-5 from behind that arc.
Tobin Karlberg added 20 points.
With a full house cheering them on, Point Loma started the game with the lead (10-4) but as Anderson came down from making his second 3-pointer in the first three minutes, he rolled his ankle and would play the rest of the game on the equivalent of one leg.
PLNU initially weathered the loss of Anderson, even extending its lead to eight (21-13), but over the next seven minutes, CSUSB went on a 22-7 run to take the lead (35-28), which it would never relinquish. Five Yotes scored during this scoring run, including Fofana, who registered six of his 14 points. Cal State San Bernardino led 46-39 at halftime.
A quick 5-0 spurt early in the second half pushed the Yotes' lead to 12 (59-47) with 15:45 remaining. Over the next 13 minutes, Point Loma would continue to chip away at CSUSB's advantage. It cut the gap to one basket first at the 8:11 mark, and tied the game at 81-81 on Jake Lifgren's 3-pointer with 2:23 remaining. His 3-pointer was the fourth consecutive 3-pointer made by PLNU and the eighth in 12 second-half attempts.
With the game tied, CSUSB immediately went on the attack. Micken drove with his right hand and went high off the glass to go back in front by two (83-81). Karlberg answered with a layup for the Sea Lions to tie the game again.
On the ensuing possession, Knapper drove past his defender but missed the layup, giving PLNU a chance to take its first lead since early in the first half.
Shamrock Campbell was fouled, sending him to the line for the 1-and-1. He missed the front end, and the Yotes collected the rebound with less than a minute left. This time Knapper would not miss his opportunity.
The senior point guard went left to get into the lane before switching back and finishing with his right hand in traffic to put CSUSB up 85-83 with 39 seconds on the clock. PLNU went to Anderson on the block to try and tie the game. When he spun baseline to make his move, his feet slipped on some sweat on the floor, and the ball went out of bounds to the Yotes.
Kaijae Yee-Stephens and Mickens each hit two free throws in the last 17 seconds to secure the regional title.
This is the fourth NCAA West Regional Championship in the history of the Cal State San Bernardino men's basketball program. It also won the regional title in 1998-99, 2001-02, and 2006-07.
The matchup between PLNU and CSUSB was the highest-ranked matchup of any two teams across the nation in NCAA Regionals. Point Loma was ranked No. 4, and Cal State San Bernardino was No. 6.
The Yotes (30-3) will now advance Elite Eight, which will be held in Evansville, Ind., on Mar. 21-25. They earned the No. 4 seed and will face Lincoln Memorial on March 21 at 6:30 p.m. (PST)