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Willhite Buzzer-Beater Gives Toros 51-50 Win and CCAA Championship Tournament Title

The 2010-11 CCAA Men's Basketball Tournament Champions

HAYWARD -- Junior guard Robert Willhite caught an outlet pass from Marcquintice Davis on the right wing with under a second left and the Toros trailing 50-48, and in one motion spun to his left and hoisted a 25-footer that hit nothing but net as the buzzer sounded, giving Cal State Dominguez Hills the CCAA Tournament Title for the first time since 1987 with a shocking 51-50 win over top-seeded and No. 3 Humboldt State.

With the win, the Toros picked up their 23rd win of the year, the most in the program's history, as well as the automatic bid into next week's NCAA West Regional as the CCAA Tournament Champions, against both an opponent and at a site to be determined.

"Tonight's win means to us that we can compete in a tough, tough game," begins head coach Damaine Powell, regaining his focus after the thriller.  "We really respect Humboldt for what they've done program-wise and this year, and this [victory] means we can share a title with them in one of the toughest conferences in the nation."

Willhite's heave was the first three-pointer the team made tonight, and was just his third attempt from the field, and only make.

"Those are the situations you practice and I was just hoping [Davis] would pass me the ball and give me the chance," begins Willhite, of his shot heard around the world.  "When I let it go, it felt great so I knew it was going in."

Defense ruled the game from the outset, as neither team found its offensive stroke early although the 'Jacks raced to a 17-10 lead on a Brandon Sperling jumper with 5 minutes left in the opening session.

The Toros, however, clawed back behind a pair of free throws by Zareh Zargaryan and buckets by Davis and James Cawthorne to cut the lead to one, before a Davis jumper from 15 feet out with three ticks left tied the game at 22-22 heading into the half.

CSUDH took its first lead of the game on a Michael Cox bucket to open the second half, before the two teams tied five more times over the next seven minutes of play.

A pair of Cawthorne freebies at the 5:32 mark looked to give the Toros breathing room with a 44-41 lead, but CCAA MVP Brian Morris willed HSU back into the game, spurring a 9-1 run that saw him sink a jumper and three foul shots in the run.

With the Toros trailing 50-47 after a Cawthorne bucket, Willhite rebounded an ensuing 'Jack miss and looked to push the tempo, but inadvertently crossed the half-court line before dropping a pass to the backcourt, where Davis was whistled for an over-and-back to seemingly put a stop to any hopes of a comeback.

"I felt down after the turnover, but I kept telling myself to not let that last play affect the next play, which has helped me focus on what comes next," Willhite reflected.

True to his mantra, another miss by the Lumberjacks gave the Toros a light of hope, and after one made free throw by Davis and another HSU missed shot with five ticks left, Davis and Willhite teamed for the latest chapter of what is becoming CSUDH's one shining year.

"Rob's a solid, solid kid, tough as nails and a winner," says Powell of tonight's closer.  "He's one of the best signings I've ever had."

The Toros shot just 37.3% for the game, but nailed 12-of-14 of their foul shots, while HSU suffered through a 32.7% shooting effort, and just 12-of-18 from the charity stripe.

HSU had the edge from long range with 4 makes in 17 attempts, but it was CSUDH's only 3-point make that made the most impact.

Morris tallied a game-high 25 points on 9-of-14 shooting from the floor in earning CCAA Tournament MVP honors, while Cox led the CCAA Tournament Champion Toros with 15 points on 7-of-11 shooting from the field.

"Those guys [the Lumberjacks] are champions," said Powell, obviously relieved and elated.  "We are one of the best defensive teams in the country, and at times, we had no answer for Morris.  And no matter what we did, he would score on us.  We were just lucky to get out of here with a victory."

With tonight's win in their ninth overall appearance in the CCAA Conference Championship Tournament, the Toros now sport a record of 6-7 in league tournament play, with two CCAA Tournament Titles in tow.

For their efforts, Davis and Cox were both selected to the CCAA All-Tournament Team.

Next up is the NCAA selection committee's decision as to which eight teams from each region will qualify for the D-II version of March Madness, and which schools will host each regional.

On next week's regional, Powell says as a matter-of-fact, "We aren't treating it as a tournament.  We'll just focus on our opponent, and go from there."

This will be announced tomorrow night on NCAA.com, at 7:00 pm PST.  Stay tuned for more details on www.GoToros.com as they become available.
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