CARSON – The Cal State Dominguez Hills men's basketball team didn't receive any luck of its own in the final ticks of the second half against Cal State East Bay Saturday.
Shortly after the Pioneers hit a jumper with 2.9 seconds left,
Alex Garcia attempted an uncovered, game-winning 3-point shot only to hit the iron as Toros was edged 74-72 in a crucial California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) men's basketball game at the Torodome Saturday.
The Pioneers (17-5, 12-4 CCAA) sweep the Toros (11-9, 9-6 CCAA) in the season series. With a half of a dozen games remaining in the regular-season, Dominguez Hills sits in a tie for sixth with Humboldt State in what is currently a very tight CCAA men's basketball standings.
TOP PERFORMERS
Mikey Hatfield – 22 points, 9-for-9 free throws, 4 rebounds
Wonder Smith – 19 points, 7 rebounds, 2 assists
Alex Garcia – 13 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists
WHAT HAPPENED?
- The Toros had to play catchup for the entirety of the second half. They eventually erased a 10-point deficit when Garcia hit a 3-pointer to tie the game at 63 with 5:15 to go. East Bay would never lead by more than three the rest of the game.
- Facing against the shot clock, Smith got a jumper before the expiration to tie the game at 72. Although the Toros had a few fouls to give, East Bay's Juwan Anderson scored the eventual game-winning bucket with 2.9 seconds remaining.
- Dominguez Hills was a bit cold in the shooting department during the first half, hitting 11-of-31 (35.5 percent). It did improve the second half by going 15-for-27 to finish the game at 44.8 percent. East Bay never cooled down, finishing 29-for-55 (52.7 percent).
- Hatfield continued to stay hot after his 22-point afternoon. He will end the weekend having scored 54 points and going 19-for-19 on the free throw line.
- Juan Anderson, who put nine points on the board in the Pioneers win over the Toros in Hayward in December, led the team with 20 points this afternoon. It was the opposite for Nai Carlisle, who was held to six points today after scoring 20 in the Bay Area.
WHO'S NEXT?
The schedule continues to be brutal for the Toros as they hit the road to San Diego county this weekend, starting with the other leader in the CCAA UC San Diego Thursday at 7:30 p.m. The Tritons handed the Toros their worst defeat of the season at the Torodome last month.
