Box Score

CARSON -- Down 13 points in the fourth quarter and facing a fourth-straight loss, Cal State Dominguez Hills stormed back with a 25-7 run over the game's final eight minutes to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat in a gutsy 79-74 win over visiting Stanislaus State on Saturday afternoon in the Torodome. 

Anela Thomas poured in a team-high 16 points and added a team-best eight rebounds in the thrilling comeback, which snapped a three-game skid and moved the Toros to 3-10 overall and 3-5 in CCAA play.  The Warriors, meanwhile, drop to 1-10 overall, and remain winless in league play at 0-8.

It was a battle from the tip with each team taking the other's best shots, and giving it right back with neither team taking more than a 3-point lead in the first 10 minutes of play.  The Toros sizzled from the floor to open the contest, draining 10-of-17 attempts from the floor, with Thomas hitting a deep triple and Zanna Hurst draining two of her own.  Tied at 20-20 with 65 seconds left in the quarter, An A'moree Ferrel layup and Tiara Jones fastbreak bucket gave the Toros a 24-20 edge after one.

Kylee Edgar pushed the host's lead to 26-20 with a rebound and tip-in to begin the second quarter, only to have the Warriors score four-straight to trim their deficit to two.  Stan State continued to put pressure on the Cardinal and Gold, taking a 32-28 lead with 3:42 left in the quarter.

A pair of Thomas free throws followed by another Jones bucket down low knotted the game, and Lopez-Wood gave the Toros the lead for good in the frame with her own fastbreak layup as CSUDH entered the half up 38-36, a 20-minute period that saw 10 lead changes and seven ties.

The Warriors jumped out quickly after intermission, taking a 4-point lead three minutes into the quarter and pushing it to 59-49 with 53 seconds left after the Toros managed just 14 points in the frame after shooting just 33.3% from the floor.

Stan State extended its lead to 13 early in the 4th quarter, the last at 67-54 at the 8:18 mark.  That's when the Toros caught fire, reeling off 13-straight points over the next three minutes, with four different Toros contributing in the run.

The visitors looked to stop CSUDH's momentum with four-straight points to take a 71-67 lead with 3:32 left in regulation, but a Jayla Love layup again kick-started the Toro offense, and a smooth Ferrel triple from beyond the elbow gave the Toros a 72-71 lead, and brought the Torodome crowd alive.

Stan State refused to fold, tying the game at 74-74, only to have Ferrel bring the house down after driving down the lane and delivering a no-look shovel pass to Jones, who converted the lay-up for a 2-point lead.

On Stan State's next possession, Jones showed her defensive prowess by taking a one-on-one challenge from Warrior Karissa Hukill, denying Hukill and pulling down the rebound.

Forced to foul, Hurst sank a pair of free throws to give the Toros a 78-74 lead with 40 seconds left, and CSUDH's revived defense forced a pair of Warrior misses down the stretch to seal the 79-74 win.

Hurst finished with 15 points, Lopez-Wood 14 and Jones 12 in a win that held the Warriors to 40.6% shooting from the floor, saw the Toros commit six less turnovers than the visitors and enjoy a 5-1 edge in blocks.

CSUDH takes to the road next week, starting at Cal State Monterey Bay on Thursday, January 15, with tip scheduled for 5:30 pm in Seaside.