Box Score CARSON -- It took a quarter and a half for top-seeded Cal State Dominguez Hills to shake off the nerves of hosting the NCAA Women's Basketball West Region for the first time in program history, but once they did, it was all downhill from there as the Toros dominated No. 8 Cal Poly Pomona en route to an 87-61 decision in the final quarterfinal matchup of the night, held in the Torodome on the campus of Cal State Dominguez Hills.

CCAA Freshman of the Year Nala Williams scored a game-high 26 points and added 11 boards for the contest's lone double-double as CSUDH turned a 10-point deficit with 4:13 left in the second quarter into the 26 point rout, the fourth victory over the Broncos this season.

"I'm proud of the way our team fought tonight," said a determined John Bonner, CSUDH women's basketball head coach.  "This is new territory for us, so we had some jitters to start. Once we relaxed, our defense showed and we were able to pull out the victory."

With the win, CSUDH advances to tomorrow's semifinal match at 7:30 pm against No. 4 seed Montana State Billings, which dispatched No. 5 seed Cal State LA earlier this evening.

After the hosts to a 15-6 lead early keyed by William's seven points, the Broncos showed the CCAA regular season champs they weren't going away by tying the game at 15-all with 4:14 to go in the quarter, taking the lead at 22-21 before settling for a 24-23 lead after one.

The Broncos built a 10-point lead at 33-23 on a Brenna Ha triple at the 7:46 mark, and kept its lead at 10 at 39-29 on a Donja Payne layup three and a half minutes later.

That's when the Toros awoke, draining three-consectutive triples, the last two by Joe'l Benoit, to get to within four at 42-38 at the 3:00 minute mark, giving the Cardinal and Gold momentum in front of raucous Torodome crowd.

After a Bronco turnover, Hosanna Walker brought the Toros to within 42-40 with a jumper, before Benoit hit two more threes to put CSUDH up 46-42 with a minute left.  Ha again replied with her own three as the teams went into halftime with the Toros up 46-45.

The Toro defense took over in the third quarter, holding CPP to just four points while scoring 22 of their own to take control of the game.  In the period, CSUDH hit 47.1% of its shots including 3-of-8 from downtown while the Broncos made just 1-of-10 tries from the field.

CSUDH scored the first nine points of the quarter, building a 55-45 lead.  After CPP cut into its deficit with a score, CSUDH seemed to score at will, opening up a 20-point lead at 68-48 courtesy of an Asia Jordan layup before the Broncos connected on a free throw to make it 68-49 Toros entering the fourth quarter.

In the final period, it was more of the same as a Kelsey Bell triple gave the Toros a 74-53 lead with 7:09 left in regulation, and an Allyah Cartajena bucket three minutes later ballooned CSUDH's advantage to 83-53 before settling for the 26-point margin of victory.

Benoit finished with 12 points on all 3-pointers while Jordan and Deejanae Poland each contributed 11 in the win.

Defense again was front and center for the Toros as they forced 22 CPP miscues that led to 33 points.  The Toros regrouped from shooting just 33.3% in the first quarter to a 44.4% overall.

Tonight's win marked the first time since the 1994-95 season CSUDH has been victorious in NCAA play, giving them an overall record of 2-8 in the NCAA postseason.

Tomorrow's battle against the Yellowjackets marks the seventh overall meeting the two schools, with MSUB winning all six.  The two teams last faced off in the 2010 season, resulting in a 67-37 decision.

About Cal State Dominguez Hills Athletics
The Toros are proud to be a member of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) competing at the Division II level, bringing excitement and tradition to the campus through 10 different sports (4 Men's, 6 Women's).  The program boasts 4 NCAA Championships, 2 NAIA National Titles, 10 NCAA West Region crowns and 34 CCAA Championships.  CSUDH is one of 12 universities that competes in the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA), the most prominent Division II conference in the nation with 155 NCAA National Championships, far more than any other conference in the nation.