Skip To Main Content
Skip To Main Content

Cal State Dominguez Hills Athletics

Upcoming Events & Results

Composite Calendar
FloSports

Women's Basketball

Toros Fall on Senior Day to Warriors in OT, But Earn No. 8 Seed in CCAA Tournament After Coin Flip

No. 8 seeded CSUDH to face top-seeded UC San Diego on Tuesday, March 2


CARSON -- In a season of peaks and valleys, tonight's final regular season game for the Cal State Dominguez Hills women's basketball team, a "Think Pink" event to raise awareness for breast cancer, encompassed both extremes after honoring its four seniors in a pre-game ceremony, then falling to visiting Cal State Stanislaus 71-68 in overtime, and then learning it had won a coin flip between Sonoma State for the eighth and final seed in the upcoming CCAA Tournament.

In another valley, so to speak, the Toros will travel to top-seeded UC San Diego, one year after suffering a buzzer-beating loss in the NCAA West Regional's first round, and less than a month after being swept in the regular season series by the Tritons by an average of 15.5 points.

The Toros were on all cylinders to start the contest, taking a 9-1 lead during the first four minutes of play.  The Warriors, however, played true to their moniker after battling back and taking their first lead of the contest at 25-24 on a Nathalie Olveda jumper with 1:52 left in the first half, only to see MacKenzie Mathias and Brandie McCann hit back-to-back buckets to give CSUDH a 27-24 lead entering the break.

CSUDH began the second half the way it began the first, out-scoring CSUS 7-4 over the first 3:20, keeping its lead until the 7:43 mark when Christina Gowan's 3-pointer brought the Warriors ahead by one at 47-46.

That's where the game stood as the two teams tied on five more occasions in regulation, including a Gowan lay-up with 13 ticks left that brought the game into overtime.

In the extra session, the Warriors took their first lead with 2:16 left on an Alishea Kelly jumper, keeping the Toros at arm's length the rest of the period.  CSUS made it interesting by missing two of their final four free throw attempts, and a McCann launch from 25 feet away rimmed in and out as the buzzer expired, giving the Warriors the 71-68 overtime win.

Despite the loss, which created a tie for 7th with four teams at 9-13 in league play, the Toros won a coin flip between Sonoma State, which gives them the No. 7 seed and a trip to Pomona and a chance to start defense of their tournament crown captured last year in a win over Humboldt State, while SSU garners the final berth, and along with it, a trip to top-seeded UC San Diego.

Kelly's 23 points led all scorers, with Gowan scoring 12 and Olveda 10 for the Warriors, while Whitney Gantt paced four double-figure Toro scorers with 19, followed by 12 by McCann and Leniece Arevalo and 10 by Kala Amico.

Prior to the contest, CSUDH honored Gantt, Kayla Montalvo, Barbara Houston and #A.J. Adams# in a "Senior Day" pre-game ceremony.

CSUDH, now 10-17, 9-13 CCAA, looks to defend its CCAA Tournament title on Tuesday at 7:00pm.  First stop: La Jolla, California.






Print Friendly Version