Skip To Main Content
Skip To Main Content

Cal State Dominguez Hills Athletics

Upcoming Events & Results

Composite Calendar
FloSports

Toros Finish Strong in 72-69 OT Win Against Cal Poly Pomona

Box Score
Carson, CA -- Junior Jonathan Toliver rejected a would-be tying 3-point attempt as the buzzer sounded, giving the Toros a hard-fought 72-69 overtime win Saturday night in the Torodome in front of a packed house that included the Bronco Pep Band.  With the win, bolstered by a team-high 19 points from Jerrell Smith (pictured), CSUDH improves to 13-7, 8-6 CCAA, and has won seven of its last eight games.
   
The Toros were on a mission from the outset, building their lead to 10-5 at the 14:28 mark, to 17-7 at 10:54 and 27-12 with 4:54 left in the first period, riding eight points by Rodney Yearby, seven by Nonso Nibo and six by Mike Steed as the Broncos misfired on 13 of their 20 shots, resulting in a 35% shooting effort.
   
Beginning the second period up 31-20, the Broncos quickly cut six points from their deficit after a Larry Gordon 3-pointer, followed by a Gordon old-fashioned 3-point play.  A Smith slam cut into CPP's momentum, but another Gordon trey brought the visitors to within 33-29 with just 2:57 elapsed in the half.
   
Cal Poly Pomona, which fell to 9-10, 8-6 CCAA, continued its hot shooting while the Toro offense sputtered, whittling the lead to 35-34 on an Angelo Tsagarakis layup at 13:55, and taking its first lead of the game on another Tsagarakis bucket just 38 seconds later.
   
The two teams kept the other close over the final minutes of regulation until the Toros seemed to gain control after a Steed 3-pointer gave them a 63-62 lead with 35 ticks left in the game and, after a Gordon turnover, two drained foul shots from Michael Hernandez put CSUDH up 65-62 with just 10 seconds left.
   
Working their way towards a final shot, Cal Poly Pomona's prayers were answered when a Rich Collins heave found nothing but net as the buzzer sounded, forcing an extra period.
   
In the extra frame, the Toros managed a 71-69 lead with 21 seconds left, setting up one more Bronco possession.  After 15 seconds ran off the clock, Donnell Booker found himself two feet from the bucket, but his attempt found everything but the net, forcing CPP to foul Yearby after he secured the rebound with 1.9 seconds remaining.
   
After draining just the second attempt for a 72-69 lead, the Broncos threw a “Hail Mary” to Gordon, but Gordon landed out of bounds before he could get a shot off, giving the ball back to the Toros in front of the CPP bench with 1.6 seconds left.  Needing a turnover, the Broncos forced a 5-second count and got the ball back for one final attempt, but Toliver blocked Tsagarakis' 3-point try as the buzzer sounded, securing the 3-point win.
   
Yearby had a monster 17-point, 13-rebound effort, while Nibo tallied 13 points in the win.  Gordon finished with a game-high 21 points on 7-of-10 shooting, while Tsagarakis tallied 18 points in the loss.
   
As a team, the Toros shot just 41.2% compared to CPP's 46.9%, but won the game on the defensive end by committing 14 less turnovers than the Broncos (26-to-12), resulting in a whopping 31-to-12 points off turnovers edge.  CSUDH also used its size to tally four more boards, but that included a +8 margin on the offensive end.
   
CSUDH takes to the road next week, with key match-ups at Cal State L.A. on Wednesday, followed by a trip to UC San Diego on Saturday, February 16.  The Toros then return home for their final regular season homestand on February 22-23, hosting Cal State Monterey Bay and San Francisco State.

(Link to archived video of game)
Print Friendly Version