The Modesto Tournament did not begin on a high note for the College of Marin Mariners. Men's Basketball traveled to Modesto and took on the Fresno City College Rams in the opener. The result, a lopsided game that saw the Mariners on the wrong side of a 108-63 final score. The Rams scored 69 points in the first half as Marin was unable to keep pace. Jalen Chandler led the way for Marin but it was too little to put a dent in the 45-point margin.

The Fresno City Rams employed a press from the opening tip which Marin was unable to thwart. A series of turnovers and missed shots by the Mariners let Fresno build a double digit lead they would never relinquish. The Mariners managed just 28 first half points while the Rams more than doubled them up in the half. Marin went to the halftime locker room trailing 69-28, their worst deficit of the season.

It was not all bad as Marin did compete better after the break. They scored 35 second half points and yielded just 39 to Fresno. While the Mariners never looked to complete an epic comeback, they did limit turnovers and played solid team defense.

The loss dropped Marin to 4-5 on the year while Fresno improved to 6-2. The ranked Rams did not ease up on Marin until the final minutes as five Rams scored in double figures. Marin managed three players with double digit scoring included 17 from Chandler.

Next up for the Mariners is a match up against the Simpson College JV Team on the second day of the Modesto College Tournament.