LA JOLLA - With 3.6 seconds left in the game and down by two, Cal State Dominguez Hills men's basketball head coach
Steve Becker called a timeout and drew up a play. Senior forward
Glenn Baral inbounded it to freshman guard
Colten Kresl from the base line underneath CSUDH's basket. Kresl went coast-to-coast and nailed the game-winning and buzzer-beating 3-pointer with a hand in his face as the Toros defeated UC San Diego by a final score of 77-76 in California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) action, Thursday night at RIMAC Arena.
With the win, the Toros clinch a berth in the upcoming CCAA Tournament and improve to 13-15 overall and 10-11 in conference play. The Tritons drop to 17-10 overall and 14-7 in the CCAA.
Kresl finished with 19 points on the night, aided by five 3-pointers. Senior
Matt Hayes chipped in 16 points and freshman
Malcolm Johnson recorded 12 points, seven rebounds and four assists.
Neither team could get a clear advantage in the first 10 minutes. With the game even at 17-17, the Toros went on a 16-3 run, ignited by a 3-pointer from senior
Glenn Baral, to grab their biggest lead of the game, 33-20. UCSD went on a run of its own to close the half as CSUDH went into halftime up by five, 37-32.
The Tritons evened the score in the first minute of the second half with a layup and trey. Neither team could grab more than a four-point lead from there until a 3-pointer from UCSD's Anthony Ballestero put his team up by seven, 66-59, with 6:56 remaining.
Down seven points with a little under four minutes left, the Toros went on an 8-0 run after a 3-pointer from Baral, a successful layup and-one from Johnson and a jumper from Kresl. The Tritons punched back and took a two-point advantage with one minute remaining.
UCSD took possession of the ball with 37 seconds remaining and a full 30 second shot clock. CSUDH decided to not foul as the Tritons used up the whole shot clock and missed on their attempt. The Toros were able to secure the rebound and call a timeout which set up the game-winning play.
For their final regular season contest, CSUDH will travel to Cal State San Marcos on Saturday, Feb. 24. Tip-off is set for 7:30 p.m.
