MERCED, Calif. -- Two days after leading the Cal State Dominguez Hills Toros to a come-from-behind victory, Luke Lin scored the final five points of today's contest to propel the Toros to a thrilling 78-75 win over host UC Merced, perhaps earning the sophomore a new nickname.

They call him "Big L.L."

Lin scored 20 with reigning CCAA Athlete of the Week David Cheatom leading all scorers with 23 as the Toros won their fourth-straight game with two games left in the regular season.

The Toros shot 47.4% for the game while limiting the Bobcats to just 39.3%, also making one more 3-pointer but eight less free throws. 

CSUDH also was out-rebounded by 10 including by seven on the offensive end, had three less assists and four more turnovers, losing the battle of fast-break points as well (23 to 18).

However, despite pulling down less boards than the hosts, the Toros enjoyed a huge advantage in points in the paint (36 to 20) and fast-break points, showcasing the stellar ball handling and decision making by the Cardinal and Gold backcourt.

UC Merced kept pace with the Toros in the early going, playing nothing like a sub-.500 team.  CSUDH enjoyed its largest advantage of the half at the 8:30 mark after a Lin layup gave the visitors a 29-20 edge.

The hosts, however, scored five-straight points to cut their deficit to four points, prompting a Toro time out.  

Lin used that respite to his advantage, draining a triple to push the lead to seven points at 32-25, where it hovered until Merced closed the half on a 9-5 run to bring the score to 37-34.

UCM used that momentum to take control of the contest to begin the second half, going on a 10-0 run for a 44-37 lead.  The Toros got to within three points on two occasions, finally regaining the lead on a Josiah Sanders bucket midway through the half to give CSUDH a 58-57 edge.

After the Bobcats answered with another run, this time by a 12-4 count, an old-fashioned 3-point play by Cheatom brought the Toros back to within five, before a Lin 3-pointer knotted the game at 71-all with 3:26 left in regulation.

With the teams exchanging buckets on their next possessions, a Toro turnover led to a pair of Bobcat free throws, setting the stage for the frenetic finish.

Another Toro turnover at the 1:38 mark looked to doom the outcome for the Cardinal and Gold, but Lin stepped up with a steal of his own, pulling up and knocking down a 3-pointer for a 76-75 Toro lead with 65 ticks left in regulation.

Sanders then showed his defensive prowess by sending back a pair of Bobcat attempts, grabbing the rebound after his second swat with 33 seconds left.

After a Toro timeout, Lin put a punctuation mark on the win, hitting a basket to give CSUDH a 78-75 lead, with the Toros withstanding a final Merced 3-point attempt that went awry to seal the win.

Sanders added 12 points and Mitchell 10 in the win, with Sanders collecting a team-high six rebounds and the two monster blocks on the night.

CSUDH returns home for its final two games of the regular season, beginning Thursday night as a hungry Cal Poly Pomona squad, one of five teams fighting for the last four spots in the CCAA postseason tournament, visits Carson for a 7:30 pm tip.
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