Toros Drop 69-68 Contest to UCSD on Senior Night to End 2013-14 Season

The Toros honored six seniors in Givon Crump, Moriba DeFreitas, DeShaun Freeman, Pierson Williams, Steffon Neal and Justin Standley before the season finale

Box Score

CARSON -- Down by one with 9.9 ticks left in regulation, junior Jason Payne's would-be game-winner from the corner hit the front iron, and bounced away as the final buzzer sounded to give visiting UC San Diego a thrilling 69-68 win over the Cal State Dominguez Hills Toros to spoil "Senior Night."

Senior Pierson Williams continued his hot hand with a game-high 23 points in the loss as the Toros finish the 2013-14 season at 4-18, 7-22 CCAA.

The Toros fell behind early as UCSD took an early 16-9 lead after an Adam Klie layup with 5:34 elapsed in the opening session, pushing its lead to 11 after a pair of Matt Bailey free throws eight mintues later en route to a 40-32 advantage at intermission.

But just like yesterday, Williams again heated up to nearly will the Toros to victory with help from fellow seniors Steffon Neal, Moriba DeFreitas, Givon Crump and DeShaun Freeman.

A triple by Crump at the 12:01 mark brought the Toros as close as 54-48, but two Drew Dyer triples and a Bailey bucket pushed the Triton lead to 14 points three minutes later.

There was one final run for the Toros, however, as a Williams triple cut UCSD's lead to 66-63 at the 4:08 mark, with another Williams triple tying the contest a minute and a half later.

UCSD, however, used an old-fashioned 3-point play by Hunter Walker to take the lead for good, with a pair of Williams free throws accounting for the final scoring before the last minute shot attempt went awry.

Crump finished with 13 in his final game as a Toro, while Neal and DeFreitas added seven and Freeman six in the nail-biter.

Next season, the Toros will return six letter-winners led by rising stars in current true freshmen guard Everett Turner and forward Justin Sadler, as well as junior Darnell Martin, who emerged as a force in the ultra-competitive CCAA Conference.

Print Friendly Version