CARSON – Jonathan Nichols hit a 3-point basket with 2.6 seconds left to lift the Cal State Dominguez Hills men's basketball team to a 77-74 non-conference victory over Dominican to give the Toros their first win of the young campaign Tuesday night.
 
Nichols finished the night with a career-high 23 points to go along with 13 rebounds and four assists while freshman Colten Kresl added 13 points.


 
The Toros also had a stellar night around the field, shooting nearly 44 percent in the first half en route to a respectable 48.3 percent in the end.
 
Dominican (0-3) was led by Reverend Maduakor, who dropped in 20 points off the bench but was victim for six turnovers. Jeremiah Gray also had 16 points while Jordan Williams made 14.
 
The Penguins had led pretty much the entire first half. It wasn't until a Mikey Hatfield layup in the 11:31 mark that gave the Toros a 52-51 lead. The lead would change at least five times from that point on. Free throws turned out to be beneficial for the Toros as they made all but one of their 10 attempts in the final nine minutes.
 
After Nichols hit the 3-pointer and Dominican called their final timeout, Gray made one last attempt to tie the game at the buzzer from half-court but was nowhere near the rim.
 
The California Collegiate Athletic Association seasons begins this weekend with Cal State East Bay visiting Friday followed by Cal State Monterey Bay Saturday. Tipoff is at 7:30 p.m. on both nights.