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BYU-Hawai'i Wins Rematch, 83-76, to End No. 15 Toros' Season

The Toros' season came to an end tonight, but not before the team set five records this season, including that for the most wins
Box Score
ELLENSBURG, Wash. -- BYU-Hawai'i guard Marques Whippy led all scorers with 31 points on 12-of-18 shooting from the field as the Seasiders avenged an earlier season blowout when it counted most in taking an 83-76 win over 15th-ranked Cal State Dominguez Hills in the first round of the NCAA West Region Tournament, ending the Toros' record-setting season at 23-7.  Senior Michael Cox led CSUDH with 14 points.

This marks the second time in as many playoff appearances for the Toros that the Seasiders have ended CSUDH's season after BYU-Hawai'i claimed a second round victory during the 2008-09 campaign.

With their win, BYU-H moves on to play Alaska Anchorage, which upset CCAA regular season champion Humboldt State in the tournament's opening contest.

After scoring just eight points when the two teams first met in November, Whippy took this afternoon's game over early, scoring 18 points on 7-of-11 shooting in the first half as BYU-H took a 43-36 lead into the locker room despite the Toros holding a 34-31 lead with 2:50 left in the period after a Cox lay-up.

"He had his outside shot going, and with him being a great player, you can't take away everything," said CSUDH men's basketball head coach Damaine Powell, on Whippy's difference-making effort.

"We took away his drive, but he did pretty much everything else."

The second half saw the Toros whittle their deficit to 49-45 five minutes into the period on an old-fashioned 3-point play by Amir Aguilar, before the Seasiders went on a 15-5 run to push their lead to 64-51 with 11:54 left in regulation.

CSUDH made one final push in the game's waning moments by cutting a 10-point deficit to six with 38 ticks left and to four with 17 second left on a Cornell Jenkins triple, but a Heath Gameren lay-up on BYU-H's ensuing possession and a made free throw after he was fouled sealed the Toros' fate, keeping the CCAA Conference winless in the 2010-11 men's basketball west region tournament.

Cox and Zareh Zargaryan led the Toros with 14 points apiece, while Robert Willhite chipped in 12 and Marcquintice Davis and Aguilar 11 apiece.

Whippy finished with 31 points on 12-of-18 shooting from the floor, with three other Seasiders notching double-figure scoring efforts.

Doubling BYU-H on the boards in the first meeting 48-24, the Seasiders were out-rebounded by just five tonight in their win, even gaining a two-rebound edge on defense to keep the Toro bigs from easy put-backs.

The Seasiders' aggressive approach paid huge dividends after their 20-for-28 makes from the foul line, compared to an 8-of-11 night for the Toros.

Graduating six seniors from this year's squad, CSUDH will return eight players in 2011-12 in hopes of defending its CCAA Tournament Championship.

"I'm most proud that I've seen my players grow into men who I really like and trust and believe in, and their winning was a manifestation of them growing as people," Powell concludes.

"We were lucky enough to get a special group of guys, and we had a very special season.  We didn't get as far as we wanted, but that's how it goes sometimes, so we'll just continue to work hard and try to come back next year."
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