It’s Coyotes’ night to howl in victory

Acting as if they belonged, the Coyotes of NCAA Division II Cal State San Bernardino won their first game at Pauley Pavilion, upsetting 2007 NCAA tournament team Weber State, 71-59, Monday night in the first round of the O’Reilly Auto Parts CBE Classic.

The victory earned the Coyotes a date on national television tonight against No. 2-ranked UCLA, which defeated Youngstown State, 83-52.

Six Coyotes are from the Inland Empire. Senior forward David Reichel, who was five for five from the field in the first half (four for four on three-point shots) is from Camarillo and 6-foot guard Lance Ortiz, who had a team-high 16 points and three assists, is from Mission Viejo. Cal State San Bernardino reached the Division II Final Four in March before losing to eventual champion Barton College, 80-79.

Coach Jeff Oliver said he got a call late in the summer asking whether his team could play in the CBE event.

Ortiz said the last time he was in Pauley Pavilion was when he was 10. “I came to watch Baron Davis,” he said. “You can feel the history here.”

Reichel said if he could tell ESPN analyst and former UCLA coach Steve Lavin one thing about the Coyotes for tonight’s ESPN2 broadcast it would be: “We don’t back down from anyone.”