Coyotes Put Hold on Toro CCAA Tourney Berth After 75-60 Win

Box Score

CARSON -- Mathematically eliminated from the upcoming CCAA Tournament, visiting Cal State San Bernardino played loose and free, and shot 60.4% in the process in handing Cal State Dominguez Hills a 75-60 loss, making tomorrow night's contest hosting UC San Diego a pivotal game.

Breanne Garcia led the Toros with 12 points in the loss as CSUDH slips into a three-way tie for 4th place in the CCAA with one game left in the regular season.

The red-hot Coyotes, who entered tonight with four-straight wins, jumped to an early 16-9 lead with five minutes elapsed, until a pair of Amber Wharton free throws brought the Toros to within 16-15 with 11:38 left in the half, a game that stayed close until the 5:15 mark when the Yotes took a 28-26 lead.

That's when the visitors took control, scoring the next 10 points to forge a 38-26 lead, an advantage they took into the locker room at 40-28.

CSUSB continued its hot hand after the break, scoring the first five points of the second half to run its lead to 17 before an Alexcia Mack triple gave the Yotes their largest lead of the game at 56-33 with 10:43 left in regulation.

Behind free throws by Garcia and Shomari McCorkle, and a triple by Simone Thompson, CSUDH whittled its deficit to 12 with just under seven minutes left, but clutch free throw shooting down the stretch by the Yotes kept the Toros at arm's length until a Garcia bucket with 21 ticks left accounted for the game's final tally.

Thompson added 10 points with Monay Lee adding nine and Talia Rayford eight in the loss as CSUDH shot just 38.5% from the floor.

About the only bright spot tonight was CSUDH's free throw shooting as the hosts nailed 16-of-18 from the floor.

CSUDH still has its CCAA postseason fate in its own hands, and will get a second chance to punch its ticket to Ontario for the league tournament against UC San Diego tomorrow night, which punched its own ticket after a gusty win at Cal State L.A. earlier tonight.

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