ATHERTON, CA – Showing truly relentless determination, Menlo Men's Basketball closed a 25-point first-half deficit less than 10 minutes into the second period with 16 unanswered points and challenged Stanislaus State the rest of the way. Though the Oaks dropped a 78-74 decision in the end, Wednesday's home opener inside Haynes-Prim Pavilion foreshadowed a team with tremendous potential in 2025-26.

"The resiliency of our team and the way we fought and worked together was awesome to see," said Head Coach Jamison Montgomery. "When we got into the second half, we got stops on the defensive side and that led to our opportunities to push the ball, play with pace, and get downhill."

Oaks Highlights
-JaMaal Unuakhalu led all players with 20 points, adding seven rebounds, two blocks, and two steals
-Quentin Thompson was nearly perfect from the field, scoring 12 points on 6-for-7 shooting
-The nine assists for Devon Woods were a game high and came with 13 points

Dunks, Triples Highlight Thrilling Oaks Comeback
Though Stanislaus State initiated a 21-4 lead from the start, Menlo began to find a rhythm with senior forward Nick High knocking down a 3-pointer to spark a 7-0 push back. After the first of what would be four dunks from senior forward JaMaal Unuakhalu in the contest, the Oaks faced a 12-2 response from the Warriors which had the visitors in front 49-24 at halftime.

Unuakhalu could be found at the forefront of the second half surge as he hit a triple then had another dunk less than two minutes into the frame. Freshman forward Luke Wieskamp soon had the 3-pointer that opened the game-shifting 16-0 run with three more dunks, two by Unuakhalu and one from sophomore guard Quentin Thompson, following and suddenly just seven points separating the two teams.

Menlo did not ease off the gas with sophomore guard Jonathan Moxie nailing a triple and junior guard Devon Woods finding Thompson for a layup to make it a one-possession game, 58-56, at the 10-minute mark. The two sides then traded baskets and even brief scoring bursts as Stan State got up by 10 before free throws and a jumper by Woods cut the difference to five with 30 seconds left. Free throws allowed the visitors to sneak away with the 78-74 victory, but a second half for the ages still demonstrated the Oaks' capability for the future.

"I'm just blessed to be back here – Menlo is such a special place," Montgomery said. "We're building a hard-working culture with guys who are great on and off the court. They give everything they have and play until the final whistle. Even when it looked like we were out of it tonight, we still fought together and that's what we're going to be about."