Laura Hanes/The Falcon Senior Marques Echols swerves through Monterey Bay players during the Sodexho Tip-Off Classic in Brougham Pavilion.

With SPU leading by 19 points, senior Jared Moultrie headed toward the bench, steaming after a defensive mistake allowed opposing point guard D'Shon Cannon to sneak in for a layup. The men's basketball team reflected Moultrie's fire as they opened up the season winning three of four but looking to refine their game.

"We are trying to win as many games as possible, but with the state of the program right now, the playoffs are always one of the goals," assistant coach Brock Veltri said. "Early preseason wins are nice, but we do not want to lose sight of the overall goal."

The Sodexho Tipoff Classic produced an opening win against Cal State University Monterey Bay (CSUMB) and a closing loss to regional foe Cal State University San Bernardino (CSUSB). The defeat gnawed at players and coaches.

Holding a halftime lead that stretched to nine points only served as consolation in the 49-53 loss on Nov. 17.

"They executed down the stretch," head coach Jeff Hironaka said. "We had a lack of mental toughness against a quality team."

CSUSB (5-0), a final four team last season, beat the Falcons in San Bernardino last year. Hironaka said the Coyotes are one of the top two or three teams in the western region.

Coyotes center Michael Earl set the tone by scoring the first two baskets for the Coyotes. He posted a near triple-double for the game with 15 points, 11 rebounds, and 9 blocks. His strong play near the hoop helped hold the Falcons to 19 points on 23 percent shooting in the second half.

Laura Hanes/The Falcon SPU student Joshua Oilar runs up and down the court in Brougham Pavilion during the Sodexho Tip-Off Classic. The Falcons defeated Cal State Monterey Bay that evening, 81-68.

"They blocked a lot of shots because we weren't going hard to the hoop," senior Filip Popovic said. "We had open looks. We just didn't finish them."

The Falcons led for all but the opening and closing minutes of the game. Sophomore Rob Diedrichs had 13 points, but he shot only four of 16 from the field. Senior center Rob Will scored all 12 of his points in the first half.

San Bernardino took their first lead of the second half at 46-45 on Jason Gilzene's layup with 4:11 remaining. Put backs by Diedrichs and junior Casey Reed kept SPU close, but two turnovers on attempted interior passes to Will stalled SPU's efforts in the closing minutes.

Earl completed his evening by grabbing a key offensive rebound with 28 seconds left, forcing SPU to foul to stop the clock. Coyotes leading scorer Lance Ortiz sank four free throws to keep the Falcons at bay.

"They wear you down in a 40 minute game," Hironaka said of the Coyotes. "In the last five, six minutes, it's a matter of who's going to be tougher, and that took its toll on us physically and mentally."

The loss to CSUSB came one night after SPU dispatched Cal State University Monterey Bay 81-68.

Will led a balanced Falcons offense with 19 points, 12 rebounds and six blocked shots. Diedrichs and senior Marques Echols chipped in with 19 and 18 points, respectively.

After twice taking 20-point leads, SPU let the Otters chip away. CSUMB point guard D'Shon Cannon used his quickness to beat defenders off the dribble. His three-pointer with 10:50 left capped an 11-2 run to bring the Otters within eight points at 53-45. Cannon finished with 16 points and four assists.

Laura Hanes/The Falcon Freshman Chris Banchero backs into a Monterey Bay player during the Sodexho Tip-Off Classic. The Falcons defeated Cal State Monterey Bay that evening, 81-68.

"We need to sustain a consistent game," Hironaka said. "We're up 20 then the lead is only eight or 10."

As the Otters looked to close the deficit, Echols fed junior Casey Reed for an alley oop dunk with 10 minutes left. Will blocked a layup at the other end, and the crowd exploded as the lead jumped to 57-45.

Point guard Moultrie made some timely deflections and defensive plays. His pass to Will off a pick-and-roll led to a big dunk with 6:33 remaining to make it 66-48.

Will proved a handful for Otter big men Joe Mitchell and Jacob Kernodle, who both fouled out of the game.

Will and CSUSB center Earl earned All-Tournament First Team honors along with CSUMB guard Cannon, CSUSB guard Marlon Pierce and Western Washington University guard Ira Graham.

Over Thanksgiving weekend, SPU traveled to Bellingham for Western Washington's Chuck Randall Classic. Facing Bloomfield College (N.J.) on Friday, the Falcons put five players in double figures and won handily, 107-77.

"We came out and set the tone early, so we got off to an early lead and never looked back," Echols said.

Echols led the way with 27 points and six assists. Will added 16 points, Diedrichs had 15 and freshman Chris Banchero came off the bench to add 15 points and seven assists. Every Falcon scored and posted at least one rebound on the night.

SPU followed with another 30-point victory Saturday night against Northwest University, winning 99-69 despite a closer-than-expected first half.

"Northwest did a great job coming out early and being ready to play," Veltri said. "As an NAIA (National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics) school, they were looking for the upset."

Diedrichs and Will combined for 55 points and 15 rebounds on 70 percent shooting. Reed added 16 off the bench, shooting seven for eight.

The team shot a sizzling 62 percent in the tournament's two games, including 57 percent from three-point range.

After the opening games, Veltri said upcoming practices will focus on rebounding, pressure defense and polishing the Princeton offense.

"There are always little wrinkles and adjustments to fine tune what we're after," Veltri said.

Notes

Senior starting forward JoJay Jackson had surgery on Nov. 20 to repair meniscus in his right knee. He is expected to miss four to six weeks. Sophomore Brandon Larrieu and Reed have started in Jackson's absence. Larrieu averaged 2.75 steals per game, including games of five and six steals. SPU returns to action Thursday night against Western University at 7 p.m. in Royal Brougham Pavilion.