Rocklin, CA- After defeating Southern Oregon during the first day of the Bill Holtz Classic hosted by Jessup University, Menlo Men's Basketball was right back on the court for a matchup against Montana State University-Northern. Despite battling all game long, the Oaks came up just short, falling by a final score of 75-83.

#32 Goes for 32 Points

In a game where Menlo needed someone to step up in the scoring department, junior center Landon Seaman was more than ready to step up to the task. Coming into today's game Seaman has been the Oaks leading scorer averaging 18 points a game across his first three games. Due to some foul trouble the highly efficient big man had been limited to roughly 24 minutes a game. Thankfully, Seaman was not limited by the whistle which allowed him to play a season high 36 minutes. To keep it simple, MSUN had no defensive answer for Seaman who has proven to be one of the most efficient scorers in Menlo basketball history. For the game he would score a game high 32 points, grab a game high 10 rebounds and shoot a blistering 68% from the floor. Seaman put on a low post scoring clinic with an array of shot fakes, left hand finishes and excellent footwork. Despite Montana throwing double teams at him constantly they could not slow down the 6'8 center. With this 30 point outburst under his belt Seaman is up to 21.5 points per game. We could be in the midst of an all-time great scoring season as he continues to assert himself as a lethal scoring option.

Iuli & Baeza Lead the Backcourt

While Seaman manned the middle the duo of Ciro Baeza and Braydon Iuli led the Oaks from the perimeter. Iuli has been a steady contributor throughout the early portion of the season but took his game to another level when coach Rooney needed him most. Iuli played a team high 38 minutes that included 20 points, six assists and two rebounds. While the offensive output looks great in the boxscore it was on the defensive end that Iuli would really make difference. Coming into the second half MSUN's Zackry Martinez had scored 13 first half points on four made shots. Iuli would matchup up with Martinez in the second half and completely nullify him from that point on. In 19 second half minutes Martinez scored four points, hit one shot and turned the ball over twice. Given Iuli's combination of speed and strength, his ability to impact games on both ends of the court is critical. With a full head of steam MSUN was at his mercy on dribble drives to the rim and defensively he displayed his mental toughness by accepting the challenge of guarding the opposing teams hottest hand.

Ciro Baeza also deserves his flowers for his impact coming off the bench. With the Oaks down 10 Baeza would enter the game and immediately provide a spark on the defensive end. In just nine minutes of action Baeza went on to hit two threes that kept Menlo within striking distance. But, similar to Iuli, his toughness on the less glamorous end defined his impact on the game. Baeza picked up ball handlers at half court, fought through screens and switched assignments with a sense of urgency. This was the junior transfer's first significant game action and proved ready when his number was called.

Up Next…

After a tough weekend of back to back games against good competition the Oaks will enjoy a few days of recovery and practice. This coming Wednesday the boys are back on road with a trip to Pacific Union College slated for Wednesday and a road matchup against UC Merced later in the week.