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November 23, 2007 Los Angeles, CA – A slow first half for Saint Martin’s was enough to give Cal State L.A. the 97-73 victory Friday on the opening day of the CSULA Thanksgiving Classic. The Saints, who shot just 32.4 percent in the first half, started quickly and opened up an 18-11 lead just six minutes into the contest. Cal State L.A. then got back-to-back 3-pointers by Demetrius Hazel and Vincent Camper as part of a 10-0 run that put the Golden Eagles ahead, 21-18. A 3-pointer by Jake Linton tied it at 21-21, but the Golden Eagles got a jumper by Hazel and a dunk by Christopher Mark to take the lead for good. Cal State L.A. ended the half on a 28-8 run to take a 49-29 halftime lead. “CSULA shot the ball really well in the first half. They are an athletic, strong team that when they shoot the ball well like they did tonight they are really tough to beat,” said head coach Keith Cooper. Cal State L.A. took their biggest lead of the game, 73-41, with 14:02 left in the second half but the Saints battled back. They strung together a 14-4 run to cut the lead to 22 but a three by Hazel put an end to the run and the Golden Eagles maintained their solid lead the rest of the way. Saint Martin’s shot 60.7 percent from the field in the second half but it wasn’t enough to fend off CSULA. “We played much better in the second half, more the way we need to play. We executed well, took good shots and made shots,” added Cooper. Linton posted a game high 24 points and added four assists for SMU. Brendan Campbell had 11 points while Michael McIver had nine. “Jake played well; he ran the team and shot the ball well,” said Cooper. “Blake (Poole) and Michael came off the bench and played very strong.”
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