Skip To Main Content
Skip To Main Content

Cal State Dominguez Hills Athletics

Upcoming Events & Results

Composite Calendar
FloSports
Michael Foo

Women's Basketball

Furious Comeback Propels Toros to Sole Possession of Second Place After 57-49 Win Over CSUEB

Champion played like, well, a champion after two clutch threes down the stretch helped earn the Toros a come-from-behind win
Box Score

CARSON -- There's still plenty of basketball left to be played, but if ever there was a watershed moment for this year's Cal State Dominguez Hills women's basketball team, tonight may have been it after the Toros clawed their way back from a 25-13 halftime deficit -- which should have been 25-10 had not a three-quarter shot swished through the net as the first half horn expired -- led by Tayler Champion's 13 points.

With the win, CSUDH improves to 14-4, 10-4 CCAA, while CSUEB dips to 12-9, 9-5 CCAA after getting swept during its southern California roadtrip.

"I'm just really proud of them," head coach Molly Goodenbour reflected about tonight's emotional win.  "We started Kielyn (Wilson) in the second half and started half- and full-court pressing and it helped us to change the tempo a little bit and generate a little offense and get us to the free throw line a little.

"As atrocious as we were on offense in the first half, they found a way to get it done, and that was characteristic of us at UC San Diego."

Atrocious was apt after the Toros scored just 8 points in the first 19 minutes of play, with a pair of Champion free throws finally getting CSUDH to the double-figure mark to make the score 22-10 in CSUEB's favor.

After the Pios looked to stretch their lead to 15 after Tori Breshers drained a triple, a "Hail Mary" heave by Amber Wharton just before the first half buzzer expired found nothing but net, giving the Toros life and providing a harbinger of good things to come.

And come good things did after CSUEB built its largest lead of the night at 33-14 following a Brianna Terrance layup at the 16:42 mark as CSUDH used a 16-6 run over the next eight minutes to cut its deficit to single digits at 39-30 on a Talia Rayford bucket, and to eight after Rayford completed the old-fashioned 3-point play.

A Champion triple at 5:03 brought CSUDH to within five at 43-38, and her final one at 2:47 gave the Toros a 46-45 lead and the edge for the first time since the opening possession, and spurred the hosts to a 9-3 run that closed the door on any hopes of a Pio comeback.

Rayford matched Champion's output with 13 points in the win, converting on 9-of-11 shots from the foul line.

Crippled by its frigid 16.7% shooting in the first half, the Toros managed a chilly 26.9% effort for the game, but used a +6 rebounding and -7 turnover edge to their advantage by outscoring CSUEB by 20 in an emotional second half.

The Toros will look to keep their four-game winning streak alive next weekend on the road, starting with a Friday contest at San Francisco State at 5:30 pm in The Swamp.


Print Friendly Version