Box score

Seaside, CA -- Led by Rodney Yearby's eight boards and three other Toros with six boards each, Cal State Dominguez Hills used a dominating 40-25 rebounds advantage in its 83-72 win at Cal State Monterey Bay tonight, avenging an earlier season second half meltdown and vaulting into a 3-way tie atop the CCAA with CS San Bernardino and Humboldt State, all with 11-4 league marks. 

Despite shooting just 32.1 percent from the field in the first half, the Toros entered the locker room with a 39-37 lead due in large part to nailing 17-of-22 foul shots in the first 20 minutes of play.

The Toros then turned on their defense by shutting down CSUMB to just 28 percent shooting after intermission, while turning on their offense by connecting for 45.8 percent themselves.  Continuing to stay aggressive, CSUDH mirrored its first half output at the charity stripe as it again sank 17-of-22 free throws in the eventual 11-point win.

Michael Hernandez led all scorers with 22 points after draining a near-perfect 15-of-16 free throws while James Cawthorne chipped in 20 points on 8-of-15 from the floor, also pulling down 6 boards in the key win.

Once an achilles heel for the Toros, CSUDH sank 77.3 percent of its foul shots on the game, with Jamel Ward's 4-for-5 and Jerrell Smith's 4-for-6 efforts aiding Hernandez's sizzling touch at the line.

The Toros, now 17-5, 11-4 CCAA, look to keep a firm grasp on first place in the conference with a tough battle at San Francisco State tomorrow night, with tip off set for 7:30 pm in Gator Gym.