Balance Key in 88-81 Win Over Alaska Anchorage to Close Tip-Off Classic

Box Score

ANAHEIM -- Senior Pierson Williams drained four 3-pointers en route to a team-high 16 points as five Cal State Dominguez Hills players scored in double figures in an offensive 88-81 win over Alaska Anchorage to conclude day three of the Tip-Off Classic.

With the win, CSUDH improves to 2-1 overall as its only loss came at the hand of No. 2 Seattle Pacific in the first game of the season for both teams.

A high-scoring affair, the Toros opening the scoring with a Moriba DeFreitas bucket just 15 seconds into the game, only to see UAA take the lead through the next seven minutes.

The two teams would trade leads until the 6:33 mark, with a Darnell Martin bucket giving the Toros the lead at 37-35 and spurring a 17-8 run that saw CSUDH increase its lead to as much as 15 and enter the locker room with a 54-43 lead, with 14 second-chance and 18 bench points making a huge difference in the first 20 minutes.

After the break, free throws helped UAA cut its deficit to just 57-54, with a Brian McGill triple at 16:10 knotting the game at 60-all, the game's ninth tie.

Eight more ties over the next 14 minutes, the last coming at 81-81 at the 2:34 mark, preceded a furious finish for the Cardinal and Gold as the Toros scored the game's final seven points on a pair of Givon Crump free throws, one by DeFreitas, two by Steffon Neal and a thunderous dunk by Crump that followed a 3-point miss by UAA to put the final stamp on the win.

Martin finished with 15, Crump with 13 and Neal and Justin Sadler with 11 each to round out the double-figure Toro scorers, with DeFreitas pullinng down a game-high 15 boards as CSUDH controlled the glass to the tune of a 48 to 26 rebound advantage.

Travis Thompson led all scorers with 32 points including 12-of-13 from the charity stripe, with McGill adding 24 and Kyle Fossman 12 in UAA's first loss of the year.

Crump again was magnificent at the line after finishing 9-of-10, but CSUDH's turnover problems lessened after just 10 in today's win.

The Toros venture to another tournament this week at Azusa Pacific, taking on the hosts on Friday, November 15, at 7:30 pm.

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