Tate's jumper gives Cap PAL-opening win

Pepin's emotion summed up a tightly fought game between the two schools. It was a game in which San Mateo battled for and was in control at the end, until the heroics of Jason Tate, a 6-2 power forward helped to pull it out for Capuchino.

Trailing by one point, 56-55, with 16 seconds left, Cap point guard Pat Ayson, drove to the bucket and tried for the game winner.

But his five-foot floater hit the back iron and bounced. It was then that Tate sprung up in the air, caught the ball near the free throw line and hit a 15-foot jump shot with eight seconds left in the game, to give the Mustangs a one-point lead, 57-56. The Bearcats chance for a win died when they committed a traveling violation on a last-second rush.

After a Mustang turnover, San Mateo's Austin Anderson missed a half court shot as the buzzer sounded. Up until that point, Tate looked as if he might have been the game's goat. At the end of the fourth quarter, Tate and Toke Kefu came close to having an altercation on the court as the two fought for a lose ball. This galvanized the Bearcats as Anderson hit a 3-pointer to put them up four points.

But Cap came back to shrink the lead to a point and the Bearcats failure to convert in the clutch hurt them. They could not score when they had to, which kept the Mustangs in the game, and ultimately gave them the win. San Mateo coach Eric Williams said that doing the little things cost his team the victory.

"We did not box out in the game," said Williams. "If we do this, they do not get the last shot. In fact they would not have gotten that shot and 12 other points."

What upset Williams the most about the game was how his team handled the Mustangs' pressure.

"At times we just turned it over," said a frustrated Williams.

This could be seen at the end of the third quarter. The Bearcats had a five-point lead with 16 seconds left, when the Mustangs were able to capitalize on two turnovers as the Bearcats were taking the ball out of bounds. These turnovers led to four points and a tightening of the game. As the fourth quarter proceeded, the Mustang defense collapsed on San Mateo's leading scorer Darryl Robinson, which stifled the Bearcat offense. Robinson

He was all over the place, hitting 3-pointers, pull-up jumpers and scoring on putbacks to lead his team. But as the final quarter went on, he wore down as the Mustangs defense took him out of the game, and they keyed on the Bearcats' other primary playmaker, Anderson.

The Mustangs were paced by Mace Mcguin who had 11 points and Pat Ayson with five points, while the Bearcats were led by Robinson, Anderson with 11 and Kefu with eight.