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Women's Basketball

Van Girard Picks Up Win No. 300 in Toros' 50-41 Victory Over St. Martin's at Disney Classic

Toro Sports Network's David Smock interviews head coach Van Girard after his historic 300th win
Box Score
ANAHEIM -- Cal State Dominguez Hills women's basketball head coach Van Girard won his 300th game in a 50-41 victory over St. Martin's on the third and final day of the Disney D-II Tip Off Classic, reaching another milestone in the start to his 24th year as head coach of the Toros.

"It feels good, but to be honest, I didn't even know it until people came up to me to congratulate me," begins Girard on his milestone, already in mid-season focus.

"My appreciation will come later," he continues.  "It's a milestone and something that comes with longevity, but what this means to me now is that the kids got a taste of winning, which is what we want to carry over to our next practice, and into our next game."

The Toros wasted little time in signaling this special occasion, racing out to a 9-0 lead on buckets by four different players.  The lead raced to 16-5 on a Cwynnci Lobaugh triple at the 13:26 mark, and up to 26-6 on another Lobaugh downtown bomb seven minutes later, looking to turn win 300 into a laugher.

St. Martin's had other ideas, however, as they scored 16-straight points to cut their deficit to 26-22, before a pair of Lyndsay Heard freebies gave CSUDH some breathing room as it entered halftime 28-25.

Kelsey Baker connected for the first bucket of the second half to bring the Saints to within one, only to have the Toros score six-straight to regain control of the contest.

Another SMU charge brought its deficit to just 39-37 with 6:16 left in the contest, but the Toros answered again en route to a 46-37 cushion two minutes later, capped by a Porcha Davis triple.

Senior Sherrie Hughes, who established her second career rebound high in as many games with 16, added the final two points of her 10-point effort on a pair of free throws to seal the 51-40 win.

"I was a little worried when St. Martin's cut our 20 point lead to just three before the half, but every time they closed, the kids met the challenge with a stop or a score or a loose ball," said a relieved Girard.

"The people we're counting on are all new, so there's a learning curve," he concluded.  "But we never let them pass us."

The Toros shot 37.5% from the field and held SMU to just 28.3% shooting.  Behind another monster effort by Hughes, CSUDH took a decisive 40-26 edge on the boards that included 13 on the offensive end.

Lobaugh finished with 12 points on 4-of-8 from behind the arc, while Zipporah Brown chipped in nine points in the historic win.

For her efforts in the tournament, Hughes was named to the All-Tournament team after averaging 12 boards per contest.

CSUDH, now 1-2 overall, continues its 2011-12 campaign with a road game at Biola University on Thursday, November 17, before traveling to Phoenix, Arizona, for the Grand Canyon tournament.


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