LOS ANGELES - Down 10 points with a little over 10 minutes to go, the Cal State Dominguez Hills men's basketball team battled back to defeat Cal State LA by a final score of 93-90 in overtime in a California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) matchup, Saturday at The Eagles Nest.
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The Toros improve to 8-9 overall and 5-5 in conference play. Cal State LA drops to 3-7 in the CCAA and 7-8 overall.
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Freshman
Malcolm Johnson led CSUDH with a season-high 30 points and 15 rebounds. It was his sixth double-double of the season. Senior
Deondre Otis also had a double-double with 13 points and 10 rebounds.
Jonathan Nichols and
Matt Hayes pitched in 14 and 12 points, respectively.
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Trailing 12-7 in the early onset of the game, the Toros went on a 16-4 run, capped off by a Hayes 3-pointer, to grab their biggest lead of the period, 23-16, with a little over nine minutes left in the first half. CSULA responded and took a one-point advantage at halftime, 39-38.
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The Golden Eagles asserted themselves to start the second half and opened up to a 10-point advantage, twice. CSUDH trailed by double digits with a little over 10 minutes remaining. The Toros kept on attacking and with 48 seconds left, Johnson converted a successful layup and-one to even the score, 78-78. After CSULA came back with a dagger to lead by two, Johnson asserted himself once again and nailed a hook shot from the post to take the game to overtime.
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After the Golden Eagles got the first basket of the extra five-minute period, CSUDH went on a 12-3 run to lead by seven, 92-85, with 25 ticks on the clock. The Toros gave up a layup and a 3-pointer, but the gap was big enough to earn the win.
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CSUDH will host SF State on Friday, Jan. 12 at 7:30 p.m. for its next matchup. Â Â
