Toro Cagers Launch Critical Home Stand With a Victory

If Cal State Dominguez Hills is to make a run for a California Collegiate Athletic Assn. tournament berth it has to continue the start it made in a five-game home stand Thursday night with a 73-63 victory over Cal State Los Angeles.

The Toros shot a season-high 64% from the field in recording their second straight win. Los Angeles has lost 10 straight.

Minutes after the victory, Coach Dave Yanai had turned his thoughts to Saturday night’s opponent, Cal State Northridge, one of the teams that Yanai says his team must beat out for the fourth spot in the CCAA tournament format.

“Saturday’s game is critical,” Yanai said.

Four Toros scored in double figures Thursday; fewer than 100 fans showed up.

Dominguez Hills, unable to get inside L. A.’s zone early in the game, used perimeter shooting to take a slim lead.

Dominguez Hills mounted a first-half lead that reached six points several times but let the Golden Eagles crawl back each time. With 6:26 to go in the first half, L. A. trailed by only 18-17.

But then L. A. abandoned its zone in favor of a man-to-man defense. That’s when Toro guards Derrick Clark, Barry Johnson, Leonard Eaton and Robert Barksdale got the ball inside to 6-7 center Anthony Blackmon. When Blackmon slammed a Clark feed with 3:19 in the half, the Toros were in the middle of a 10-4 run that led to a 31-22 half-time lead.

Dominguez Hills led by 17 points in the second period. But with 6:41 to go Blackmon fouled out on an intentional foul call and that seemed to ignite the Golden Eagles. Three minutes later L. A. cut the Toro lead to eight points, 63-55, on a basket by Rhodney Moore.

The Toros (8-10 overall) are 7-2 at home. Tuesday night they will host Chapman College. A loss to either Northridge on Saturday or Chapman would all but turn the lights out for the Toros. Chapman won the first meeting, 78-64.