The Stanislaus State men’s basketball team have ended their season on a high note after winning their last two games of the season. The games were also the two highest attended games at Fitzpatrick Arena as the Warriors hosted their annual homecoming and senior night ceremonies. There was a total of 778 spectators between the two games. 

Heading into their first contest of the week on Thursday, Feb. 24 against the Cal State East Bay Pioneers, the Warriors found themselves with an 8– 13 season record and eliminated from CCAA playoff contention.

Game One: Homecoming 

Stan State students were eager to support the Warriors as they had been restricted with COVID-19 mandates for nearly two years. Stands were filled with students, faculty, sorority members, fans and family members. Cameras were also rolling at all angles to capture the “Rolling Out the Red” homecoming ceremony. 

While playing in front of the massive and loud homecoming crowd, the Warriors and Pioneers played at a fast pace, going back and forth in scoring the entire game. After it was all said and done, there were 10 lead changes and 8 ties between the two teams. 

With two minutes and thirty seconds left in the game, the Warriors needed something more than just school spirit to win the game. The Warriors used their skill to execute impressive ball movement, but ultimately saw the play end with a missed 3-point attempt. Luckily for Stan State, an offensive rebound found its way to freshman guard Travion Williams, who then delivered the ball to fellow freshman guard Marlon Short. Short proceeded to sink a 3-pointer to make it a 68-66 game with less than 19 seconds left on the clock, sending the crowd into a frenzy. 

The Pioneers would fail to score on their own possession, giving the Warriors the win. Short wound up leading the Warriors in scoring with 14 points. 

Game Two: Senior Night 

After the exciting win on Thursday, the Warriors closed the book on the 2021-22 season by hosting senior night against the Torros of California State University, Dominguez Hills on Saturday night. 

Stanislaus State found themselves cornered in the first half, which saw the Warriors go scoreless for the first four consecutive possessions. After the early struggles, the Warriors eventually creeped towards a stagnant lead. The lead would not hold up for long as Dominguez Hills would end on top by a first half score of 38–30. 

During halftime, senior forward Luis Salgado was honored for his career at Stan State. As Salgado was surrounded by family and friends, athletics staff rolled out a banner featuring his jersey number, 24.  

The second half of the game saw a much more dominant version of this year’s Warrior squad. After freshman guard Tony Singleton sunk a 3-pointer, an all-out dunk fest ensued by Short. In the second half alone, Short tallied three ferocious dunks, which deflated the momentum of the Torros.  

Eventually, the Warriors would blow out the Torros by a score of 77-58. Stan State was led by Singleton, who finished his night with 21 points off of six field goals. 

“There were tons of dunks, lots of action. I was glad to see them end the season like this,” Li said Nguyen Li (junior, Business Administration). 

With the dominant win on Saturday night, the Warriors finished their season with three straight victories, improving their record to 10-13.