If it was a party, there would have been keg-stands. The sixth place SF State men’s basketball celebrated the last home game for lone senior Chris Rodriguez and an end of their four-game losing streak with a 73-64 win over the UC San Diego Tritons to push them into the playoffs against third-seated Cal State L.A. in Los Angeles.

“He’s had an incredible impact on our program,” head coach Bill Treseler said. “He’s done more for us in the year he’s played for us than other players have done in four years. His leadership, selflessness and determination did it.”

San Francisco native Rodriguez finish off his SF State regular season career with a double-double, including a dozen points, 11 rebounds and three assists.

Robert Hayes was the front-runner for the Gators with 15 points, four rebounds, three assists and three steals with Alex Thomas just behind with 14 points, five rebounds, three assists and a steal. Will Logan left the hardwood 3-for-3 from the field and 7-for-9 from the free throw line scoring 13 points.

“I’m hoping things are going to fall into place for the post-season,” Logan said. “We stayed together through a rough time and it paid off.”

At half the Gators expanded on their early lead 30-22, lead by Hayes with seven points, four rebounds and two assists, followed with Alex Thomas’ six points and three rebounds. Rodriguez rounded it out with five points, four rebounds, and two assists.

The Gators’ poor caretaking lost the ball from turnovers or steals 28 times while the Tritons only gave up possession 23 times. On top of lackluster ball handling, the Gators had been out-rebounded 39-38 but UC San Diego couldn’t keep up with the SF State’s 11-for-23 from the field at first half and 7-for-21 during the second.

“San Diego is a good team so we had to stay tough,” Logan said. “The toughest team is going to win. We had to contain their offensive and that’s what we did.”

A reverse layup by Rodriguez, assisted by Hayes, brought the Gators' lead to five points and forced the UCSD coach into his first timeout of the game–-a lead they maintained throughout the next 35 minutes of play.

The purple-and-gold were 41 percent from the field and 40 percent from behind the arch while UC San Diego struggled at 29 percent and 23 percent, respectively. Both teams were shooting 56 percent from the free throw line in the first half, but the Gators stepped it up to 75 percent overall while the Tritons lagged with 63 percent.

Rodriguez, who’s always willing to rough it up down on the defensive blocks, has 101 rebounds this season along with Will Logan and Derek Fletcher who can tout the same, while Alex Thomas’s 113 keep the Gators on the top of the CCAA rebounding charts.

“I expected the team to do pretty well. I knew we were pretty good. We just needed to go out and play. Play hard,” said Rodriguez.

This might not be the last you see of Rodriguez–-he’ll be around campus, finishing up his kinesiology degree and put it to use at an athletic acceleration facility.

“I always wanted to work with athletes,” Rodriguez said.

Chris Rodriguez, the third-highest scorer for the Gators averages 10 (11 during conference play) points per game during his 23 minutes of play, with a 58.5 percent field goal success rate, the highest for the Gators. He’s made 14-31 shots from the three point line and shoots 78.7 percent from the free throw line, only behind Martín Flores’s 80 percent. Rodriguez pulls down 4.5 rebounds per game in conference play and has 42 assists this season (third behind Hayes and Thomas). He’s had 10 blocks, 14 steals and 243 points during his single year with SF State.

San Francisco native Rodriguez was a new addition to the Gator team this year, after a year with Southern Oregon University and two years at College of Siskiyous in Weed, California. The 6-foot 4-inch senior played point guard during his time at Oceana High School while he attended open gym at SF State–honing his baller skills with SF State’s current players.

“I’m glad that I came. I just with I had more time but I’m happy with the choices I’ve made.” Rodriguez said. “I’ve always loved basketball.”