SAN DIEGO, Calif. – Cal State Dominguez Hills is one step closer to the Elite Eight. The No.2 seeded Toros put together a dominant second-half performance to take down No.6 seed Central Washington, 77-65 in the NCAA West Regional Semifinals on Saturday night at Golden Gym. With the win, CSUDH improves to 27-5 overall and advances to the regional championship game with a chance to punch its ticket to the national stage.

It was a back-and-forth battle early, as both teams traded leads six times in the opening 10 minutes. David Cheatom and Alex Garcia provided early sparks, combining for 15 first-half points. Jeremy Dent-Smith added a key three-pointer to help the Toros maintain momentum.

Central Washington knocked down four three-pointers in the first half, but Dominguez Hills responded with dominance inside, outscoring the Wildcats 20-12 in the paint. The Toros closed the half strong, taking a 36-35 lead into the break.

The Toros turned up the intensity after halftime, outscoring Central Washington 41-30 in the final 20 minutes. Cheatom and Dent-Smith took over offensively, while the Dominguez Hills defense held the Wildcats to just 26.1% from three-point range (6-for-23) for the game.

With the game still within reach in the final 10 minutes, the Toros delivered a decisive 9-2 run, highlighted by a Jordan Hilstock three-pointer and a Dent-Smith fast-break layup to push the lead to double digits. The Toros never looked back, closing out the game at the free-throw line to seal the 77-65 victory.

Toros Stat Leaders

• David Cheatom – 20 PTS, 10 REB, 5-7 FT
• Jeremy Dent-Smith – 17 PTS, 4 REB, 5 AST, 3 STL
• Alex Garcia – 15 PTS, 7 REB, 5-5 FT
• Jordan Hilstock – 8 PTS, 4 REB, 2 STL
• Adam Afifi – 8 PTS, 5 REB

With the victory, Cal State Dominguez Hills advances to the NCAA West Regional Final, where they will battle for a spot in the Elite Eight. The Toros will face their next opponent on Monday, March 18, as they look to continue their historic postseason run.