ATHERTON, CA – Saturday's finale to the PacWest/CCAA Crossover Challenge had Menlo Men's Basketball delivering plenty of highlights as the Oaks outscored SF State 16-6 to finish the first half then were down by two with nearly a full seven minutes left, but free throws and a timely triple for the Gators allowed them to prevail 67-60 on Saturday inside Haynes-Prim Pavilion.

"SF State were more the aggressors, got the 50-50 basketballs, and just wanted it a little bit more," said Head Coach Jamison Montgomery. "It's about us finding ways to win games, understanding that it won't be easy, and the margin for error is very small."

Oaks Highlights
-Three Oaks scored in double figures including JaMaal Unuakhalu (13), Devon Woods (11), and Nick High (10)
-Unuakhalu and High combined to grab 23 total rebounds

Menlo Battles Through 12 Ties, 14 Lead Changes
Up 8-3 out of the gate thanks to a three-point play from senior forward JaMaal Unuakhalu, the Oaks held their lead as junior guard Marvin Brumfield added his own three-point conversion. Though SF State would gain multiple brief advantages thereafter, it was not until two 3-pointers helped the visitors go ahead 28-20. That gave way to an 8-0 surge back by Menlo capped by back-to-back steals that resulted in a quick transition layup for sophomore guard Jonathan Moxie and a soaring dunk for Unuakhalu. Senior forward Nick High had two layups in the final three minutes before Unuakhalu's tip-in at the buzzer made it 36-34 Oaks moving to halftime.

The teams were separated by no more than five points for the first 14 and a half minutes of the second period as the action featured a triple by freshman guard Jamison "JD" Beesley and a three-point play from junior guard Devon Woods. A Gators 3-pointer with under five to go made it an eight-point margin for SF State and, though Unuakhalu had a steal and another transition dunk in the waning minutes, free throws sealed the 67-60 victory for the visitors.

"We just have to show up every day, give effort and energy, and the attention to detail has to be at an all-time high for us," Montgomery said. "Every single game this season we could have won and that will change as we figure out how to do the little things."

Up Next
The start of Pacific West Conference play will be next as Menlo begins a three-part Southern California road trip taking the Oaks to Azusa Pacific (Dec. 2), Vanguard (Dec. 4), and Westmont (Dec. 6).