Box score

Phoenix, AZ -- In another statement game early in the 2008-09 campaign, Cal State Dominguez Hills remained perfect at 4-0 with a 74-69 win over Fort Lewis College tonight in Phoenix, Arizona, on the campus of host Grand Canyon University.   Senior forward Jerrell Smith poured in 15 points to lead five Toros who scored in double figures against the Skyhawks, which received votes in this week's NABC coaches poll, and earlier this season defeated Humboldt State University in the Disney Classic.

FLC scored the game's first two points on a pair of free throws by Ryan Yates, but that would be the only lead the Skyhawks would enjoy as a Robert Willhite 3-pointer at the 18:57 mark gave CSUDH the lead for good.  The Toros, behind seven points each by Willhite and Rodney Yearby, would stretch their edge to as much as seven late in the period, before settling for a 29-23 cushion entering the half.

Things got less hopeful for the Skyhawks after intermission as CSUDH extended its lead to 34-25 on a pair of Michael Hernandez foul shots with 17:37 left in regulation.  The lead would hover around five- to seven-points over the next five minutes until a Jordan Brooks layup cut FLC's deficit to 40-36 with 12:36 left, and a Ryan Jameson trey cut the lead to 44-41 at the 11:26 mark.

That would be as close as the Toros would let FLC get, however, as a James Cawthorne 3-pointer spurred a 12-4 run, capped by a Smith deuce at the 6:52 mark to push CSUDH's lead to its biggest margin at 56-45. 

CSUDH's edge remained 11 at 68-57 on a Jonathan Toliver free throw, and six-consecutive free throws down the stretch, including four by Hernandez, sealed the Skyhawks' fate in the Toros' eventual 5-point win after FLC's DeAndre Lansdowne drained a long trey as time expired.

Hernandez tallied 13 points on 11-of-14 shooting from the charity stripe, while Willhite (12 points, 5-of-5 FT), Yearby (11 points, 7 boards, 3 steals) and Cawthorne (11 points, 4-of-4 FT) rounded out the double-figure scorers in CSUDH's balanced win.

The Toros outmuscled FLC, which dropped to 3-2, to the tune of 10 more rebounds (42 to 32), and drained 25-of-30 free throws in the win.

CSUDH resumes the GCU Thanksgiving Classic tomorrow against the host Antelopes, with tipoff set for 8:30 pm in Antelope Gym.  This game can be seen on B2 Networks Internet TV.  Go to http://www.b2livetv.com/partner_members.asp?id=78 to sign up.