A balanced attack of pressure defense and strong outside shooting propelled the SF State men’s basketball team to a comfortable 79-65 opening night home victory over Pacific Union College Wednesday evening.

More than 500 people attended the game at the main gym on campus, and the crowd, which was mostly SF State students, showed its vocal support for the team with a constant flow of loud and enthusiastic cheering. The Gators did not disappoint them, as the team won its first home opener since 2002.

Right from the start, the Gators relentless man-to-man defense controlled the tempo of the game, and allowed them to get off to an early 8-0 lead, which they never relinquished.

Junior point guard Jamil Mucheel, a transfer student from Chabot College, was able to connect on back-to-back three point shots in the first half to spread the Gator lead to 20-9. Mucheel took advantage of the team’s effective ball movement and dribble penetration, which helped get the open looks he felt were there to take.

“I think it’s definitely huge for us to have our perimeter players making jump-shots,” Mucheel said. “We had a lot of shots come from driving and kicking the ball back to the shooter.”

The Gators’ scoring was led by junior guard David Van Someren, who – along with his 14 points – also helped the team in terms of providing much-needed hustle and energy.

“Hustle makes up for a lot of little mistakes.” Van Someren said. “Say you have a turnover or a missed shot – you don't get down on yourself.”

Van Someren made 6 out of his 11 shot attempts, which was an indicator of the type of success the team had from the floor. For the game, the Gators shot an impressive 52 percent, making 30 out of their 57 shots attempted.

After a 42-26 halftime lead, the Gators started the second half with a 15-5 run, which displayed a potent mix of an effective inside-out game, transition baskets from turnovers and constant movement away from the ball.

Coach Bill Treseler, who is in his second year as the SF State head coach, was pleased with the effort from his team, and said he will always welcome a win.

“We played a good 35 minutes,” Treseler said.

The Gators defense was tenacious, as the Pioneers from Pacific Union, which is located in Napa County, were only able to shoot 39 percent from the field in the first half.

Sophomore guard Alex Thomas was the leader on defense, with six steals in 20 minutes of play. Thomas also added 12 points and five assists for the Gators, even if some of his teammates thought it wasn’t his best effort.

“Alex had an off night shooting,” Van Someren said. “But he’s one of the best shooters in our conference this year."

Throughout the game, chants for defense could be heard from the crowd.

One of the most demonstrative groups in attendance was made up of members from the SF State men’s cross country team. They said that they have a special interest in rooting for the basketball team.

“My teammates and I are out here supporting the coaches on the basketball team,” said SF State freshman Kyle Fujitsubo, a 19-year-old history major. “Coach Treseler and his staff would come out to all of our home meets and support us, so we’ll do the same for them.”