Box Score
CARSON -- Stuck near the basement of the CCAA most of the year, Cal State Dominguez Hills was two possessions away from toppling league power Cal State Monterey Bay in a thrilling 60-56 decision.  Sherrie Hughes was one of three Toros who scored 10 points in the loss.

The loss brings the Toros to 1-12 in the California Collegiate Athletic Association and 2-18 overall.  The Otters remain in second in the CCAA after improving to 10-2 in the CCAA, 13-3 overall.

Cal State Dominguez Hills is starting the second half of conference play in the right direction.  The last time these two teams faced off, the Toros could not come even close to challenging the Otters throughout most of the game.  Friday night brought a different story, however.

The Toros began regulation with a 5-0 lead, as the two teams battled within six points of eachother until the Otters ran away with a 16-0 run that would bring them to a 14-point lead with 8:43 left in the first half.  The Toros quickly answered back with 10-straight points. 

Hughes led CSUDH for the first time since Dec. 30th when the Toros hosted cross-town rival Cal State L.A.  In the first-half Hughes scored eight points and senior Zipporah Brown led with seven rebounds to wrap up the first 20 minutes of play.

The second half began in favor of the Otters, with the visitors reaching a game-high lead of 17 points after a made lay-up by guard Britnee Lewis.

The end brought more suspence than most Toro fans have been used to this season with a 15-3 run over the Otters to bring CSUDH to within 55-48 with just 5:31 left in regulation.  Brittni Hulsizer was a huge asset in the final run for the Toros, scoring six points from 10:28 to 8:45 to give the Toros momentum to put a scare into one of the league's powers.

The Toros came within three points with 1:21 left in the game after a jumper by junior Lyndsay Heard.  This recorded the last time the Toros scored, allowing Cal State Monterey Bay to squeak out the win.

Porsha Davis, who leads the Toros in scoring, and Heard shared the spotlight with Hughes, scoring 10 points each on the night.  

Defensively, Brown led Cal State Dominguez Hills in rebounding for the third consecutive contest with eight rebounds.  Contributing on the boards was Tiffany Smith and Davis with six boards apiece.  

In additon to out-rebounding the Otters, the Toros were able to out-play thier opponent in steals 7-to-1.  Hughes snagged two steals while Smith and Davis each grabbed two.

Tomorrow night the Toros will take on the visiting Cal State East Bay Pioneers.  Tip-off is at 5:30 p.m, and the game can be heard live on the Toro Sports Network at www.GoToros.com/live.