Box score

Carson, CA -- After holding the visiting Cal State Monterey Bay Otters to just 26 points in the first half, the stifling Toro defense took the second half off as the Otters nearly doubled their point output in the second period en route to a stunning 76-72 win over Cal State Dominguez Hills tonight in the Torodome.  Senior Rodney Yearby led the Toros with 15 points and 9 boards in the loss.

A Yearby triple to open the game started the Toros on a 7-0 run, a lead that eventually increased to 30-17 on a Tim McGrath 3-pointer at the 8 minute mark, and to 17 twice, the second coming on a Robert Willhite trey with two minutes left in the first half as the Toros eventually setted for a 39-26 edge entering the break.

After intermission, however, the Otters outscored the Toros 10-3 to whittle their deficit to just six at 42-36, bringing them to just 54-53 after a pair of Shaun Williams foul shots with just over 13 minutes left in regulation.  Using a Williams 3-pointer at 12:20 that gave CSUMB its first lead of the game since the middle of the first half, the Otters increased their lead to nine at 61-52 on a Sean Jergo jumper with seven minutes left in the game.

The Toros, however, received an old-fashioned 3-point play after Ryan Walton converted his foul shot, and trimmed the lead to 68-64 on a Jonathan Toliver layup with 4:09 on the clock.

A Joe Mitchell layup, however, gave the Otters breathing room, and not even a Toliver triple to tie the game would deter CSUMB from completing its monumental comeback win as the visitors outscored the Toros 6-2 the rest of the way.

In addition to Yearby's 15 points and 9 boards, Michael Hernandez chipped in 14 points and 8 assists, while Jerrell Smith contributed 9 points, 5 boards and 4 blocks before fouling out.

CSUMB's Mitchell led his team with 13 points, while three other Otters notched double-figure scoring in CSUMB's comeback win.

The Toros, now 10-3, 4-2 CCAA take to the road next weekend as they battle Chico State and Cal State Stanislaus before returning home the weekend of January 23-24.