LA JOLLA – The Cal State Dominguez Hills men's basketball team had to play catchup for most of the game and came up short from completing the rally in an 84-78 season-opening loss to Western Washington at UC San Diego's CCAA/GNAC Showdown Friday night.
 
TOP PERFORMERS
Michael Chavers – 23 points, 8 rebounds, 3 assists
Mikey Hatfield – 10 points, 4 rebounds
Isaiah Morris – 9 points, 2 rebounds, 2 assists
 
WHAT HAPPENED?
- Free throws proved to be the difference in the game, the Vikings made 28 of 36 while the Toros went 9-for-15.
- The Toros had to fight back from a game-high 18-point deficit halfway through the first period. They got to within four with less than five minutes remaining in the half.
- Dominguez Hills eventually rallied in the second half after starting the period trailing 46-37. It got to within one (74-73) on a Chavers fastbreak layup with five minutes left. The Toros would trial by as many as six the rest of the game.
- Despite the foul trouble, the Toros had a good night in field goal range, shooting 46 percent. The Vikings shot 38.7 percent from the field.
 
GAME NOTES
- The Vikings won the first-ever meeting with the Toros.
 
WHAT'S NEXT?
The Toros return to RIMAC Arena to face the other member of the GNAC, Simon Fraser, Saturday at 5:30 p.m.