Seaside, CA - Junior guard Brittney Blankenship's 16 points led four Toros in double-figure scoring as CSUDH pulled out a tense 66-60 win over host Cal State Monterey Bay in a Friday night CCAA contest. With the win, CSUDH improves to 9-5, 6-4 CCAA, while the Otters drop to 3-12, 2-8 CCAA.
The hosts raced to a quick 10-2 lead to open the game, before Blankenship's 4-for-7 effort at the free throw line helped narrow the gap, allowing a Jessica Liang bucket at 6:24 to give CSUDH its first lead of the contest at 15-14.
CSUMB regained its shooting touch, and the lead, just a minute and a half later, until a Liang long-range make knotted the contest at 22-22. A 7-0 Toro run closed the first-half scoring, giving CSUDH a 29-22 advantage.
CSUDH kept the Otters at arm's length as the second half opened, only to have the hosts claw their way back and knot the contest at 35-35 on a Denisha Profit lay-up at 16:36. After tying twice more over the next minute and a half, a Liang 3-pointer gave the Toros a 42-41 lead at 14:42, and an Aujanee Baldwin lay-up three minutes later secured CSUDH's lead for good.
A Baldwin free throw and an Alana Bailey bucket gave the Toros breathing room, only to see the Otters pull to within two points on three occasions. But the Toros hit their final 12 free throw attempts down the stretch to secure the six-point win, as Michelle Kribell, Blankenship and Brigayle Iglehart helped guide the Toros to winning their third game in four tries.
The Toros managed to hit just 39.6% of their shots from the field, but connected for 84% of their free throws, including a perfect 13-of-13 in the second half. Blankenship managed 10-of-13 foul shots herself, while Kribell went 6-for-6 from the line en route to 11 points in the win. Bailey added 10 points and team-best 8 rebounds, while Liang rounded out CSUDH's double-figure scorers with 12 points, which included two 3-pointers.
Cal State Dominguez Hills continues its conference road trip with a 5:30 pm contest at San Francisco State tomorrow night.
