CARSON -- Five was the lucky number for Cal State Dominguez Hills as the Toros took a thrilling 59-56 win over Cal State San Marcos tonight in the Torodome, the fifth-straight win for the Toros.
Camryn Washington was the lone double-figure scorer with 12 points while
Bryanne Lopez-Wood's (pictured) team-high three steals led to 23 turnovers for the Cougars and a huge 30 to 9 advantage in points from miscues.
With the win, CSUDH moves into 5th place in the CCAA standings with five games left in the regular season.
The Cougars played nothing like a team that entered tonight winning just 25% of their games, taking a 26-23 lead after two quarters by holding the Toros to just 25.8% shooting from the floor.
After the break, the Toros regained the lead on a
Zanna Hurst layup at the 7:15 mark before the two teams tied again at 35-all five minutes later.
A pair of
Kylee Edgar gave the Toros a 37-35 lead, with a
Tiara Jones layup pushing the score to 39-35 before the Cougars answered with a bucket at the buzzer to cut the lead to just two points.
The final stanza saw the Cougars look to pull away from the hosts, building a 48-39 lead halfway through the period.
That's when Washington began to take control, four CSUDH's next six points to bring them to within 50-45, with a
Leilani Abraham 3-pointer closing the gap to just two points with 3:02 left in regulation.
CSUSM answered, taking a 55-50 lead on a made free throw.
On CSUDH's next possession,
A'moree Ferrel drew a foul while taking a deep 3-point shot, hitting two of three to bring the Toros to within 55-52. Ferrel continued her aggressiveness by converting a layup with 42 seconds left, with Washington giving the Toros the lead for good after turning the Cougars over and taking the ball coast to coast for the score.
Washington then blocked a Cougar attempt on their next possession, leading to a CSUSM foul and Abraham made free throw for a 57-55 lead.
The Cougars answered with a made free throw of their own, but then turned the ball over and were forced to foul, with Washington again coming up clutch by making both free throw attempts as the clock expired.
Washington was the lone Toro in double figures, with Edgar scoring nine,
Amaya Washington eight, and
Tiara Jones seven in the win.
Abraham led the Toros with eight boards while
Bryanne Lopez-Wood securing five.
With the win, CSUDH controls its postseason destiny as the top six teams qualify for the CCAA Tournament, held March 5-7 on the campus of host Cal Poly Pomona.
The Toros will strive for six on Saturday as they host Cal State Monterey Bay for a 1 pm tip in the Torodome.
