Back down to .500 they go.

After starting the season with two wins, the SF State men’s basketball team fell for the second time in two days, this time a 79-60 loss against Seattle University in the Notre Dame de Namur Thanksgiving Classic on Saturday.

The Gators suffered their first loss to host NDNU 61-60 on Friday, ending the team’s first two-game win streak since last January. SF State beat both the University of Rio Grande and Houghton College at the Annual Bevo Francis Tournament in Rio Grande, Ohio last weekend.

Poor shooting, the Gators shot 34.6 percent from the field, coupled with a lack of second chances, SF State only pulled down one offensive rebound in the second half, gave the Redhawks plenty of breathing space. Seattle out rebounded the Gators 26-4 in the second half and converted 56 percent of its shots from the field.

“What’s most important is to win, so it’s a little disappointing,” junior guard Alex Thomas said after the game. “I think this weekend was good for us. We can take a step back and look over things.”

Thomas was one of a few bright spots for SF State down the stretch. The Vallejo native finished the game with 14 points and was 3-for-3 from both the field and beyond the arc in the second half.

Senior guard David Van Someren was 3-for-12 from the field and 1-for-6 from the three-point line. Van Someren finished with nine points.

“Sometimes you have good shots and they just don’t go down,” coach Bill Treseler said of his team. “It wasn’t a lack of effort or a lack of concentration or a lack of heart.”

As a whole SF State made 18-of-52 attempted field goals and were 9-for-24 from beyond the arc.

“We were running our offense better,” Treseler said. But, the coach said, after focusing on its free throw shooting in practice, the Gators still shot a disappointing 62.5 percent. Seattle converted 82.1 percent of its free throws and was 13-of-15 in the second half.

Robert Hayes, an All-Tournament team selection from Texas, was the second leading scorer for SF State with 12 points.

The 6-foot-9 center, Derek Fletcher, added some weight to the key and grabbed four rebounds along with Van Someren

“We played hard, we were down 22 points and we really came back for a while," Fletcher, a sophomore, said. "We learn more from a loss than a win.”

Seattle’s 42 rebounds were spread among several players, and Redhawk Leigh Swanson pulled down eight to accompany his 11 points. Also helping with boards were Mike Boxley (7) and Michael Wright (5).

“We had to be solid in our boxing out,” Van Someren said, for a win to be possible.

“We knew it was gong to be a difficult task,” he said of the match up against the Division II opponent.

Thomas echoed his teammate.

“Seattle is one of the most difficult teams in our region,” he said.

The Gators return home on Tuesday to host Bethany College in the season’s home opener.

“We’re excited to play back at home. I’m looking forward to playing with a lot of energy and a home team crowd next week,” Thomas said.