A nail-biting game kept the Swamp on the edge of its seat, but the Gator men’s basketball team fought for a 55-53 win against the Sonoma State Seawolves on Saturday night.

The Gators (9-4, 4-2) were lead by freshman point guard Robert Hayes, who scored a career high 22 points and had six rebounds and three steals including one in the last minute snatching a scoring opportunity away from Sonoma (6-6). During the last minute of the game Hayes took on four Seawolves on a fast break for a quick lay up to energize the Gators. Hayes averages 11.5 points per game.

With 13 seconds on the clock, a two-point lead and possession of the ball, the Gators secured their first victory in four years over the visiting Seawolves.

Coach Bill Treseler applauded the execution of the team, especially during the last minutes. “We needed to get a stop on the last possession and they did it.

“I told the guys this was kind of like their midterm exam. I thought it was important that we won tonight.”

Alex Thomas, a senior guard and team leader chipped in 12 points, two assists, and two rebounds during his 32 minutes on the court. Thomas averages almost 10 points and five rebounds per game and has 50 assists under his belt this season.

“We had great defense tonight, we dug down and pulled this win out,” Thomas said. “There were a ton of fouls called and it was a really physical game.”

Martin Flores added eight points, eight rebounds, and two steals in the Gator win. SF State shot 38 percent from the field and 31 percent from the three-point line, with Thomas and Hayes both sinking two. The Gators have been shooting 45 percent from the field and 34 percent from behind the arc so far this season while keeping their opponents at 41 and 26 percent, respectively.

“We just wanted to come out aggressive,” Flores said. “We knew Sonoma was a tough team. Their post guys were really physical but I pushed through. Sometimes you just got to be tough back.”

Chris Rodriguez, a senior forward who averages more than 10 points per game, was 4-for-9 from the field and finished with eight points, four rebounds and two shot blocks. The defense efforts of the team showed in the stats with nine steals compared to Sonoma State’s single steal.

“We took care of the ball,” Thomas said, “and that made a big difference.”

At the end of the first half, the game was tied at 28 with Hayes leading the pack with 15, while Thomas had five points and Rodriguez and Flores had four each. SF State was shooting only 28 percent from the field and 23 percent from behind the arc.

The largest difference in score was five points – for a brief period in the second half.

The Gators and Seawolves matched in rebounds and turnovers but the Gators pulled away in three-point shots, steals, and blocked shots with Hayes again setting the pace with three steals.

The win came after SF State lost Saturday night to Humboldt State 69-55. “If we can’t sweep a weekend,” Treseler said “we want to split it.”

The men’s basketball team will be playing CSU Dominguez Hills on Friday Jan. 18 and Cal State LA on Saturday Jan. 19 at home.