Toros Nip Eagles in 2 Overtimes

Anthony Blackmon stood at a practice basket the other day at Cal State Dominguez Hills and lamented a 12-foot jumper he missed in the final seconds last week that could have given the Toros an upset win over second-ranked UC Riverside.

“I just want the ball in a pressure situation. I know I can make it,” the senior center said.

Thursday night he got his wish and made good on his promise, sinking both ends of two one-and-ones in the final 27 seconds as Dominguez Hills hung on in two overtimes to defeat pesky Cal State Los Angeles, 55-52, in a wild California Collegiate Athletic Assn. game.

This clearly was a game that neither team wanted to win but one that Toro Coach Dave Yanai felt could haunt his team if it lost.

The caliber of play alone should haunt the Toros. Consider this as an example of a night to forget: In the first extra period the two teams combined to miss the front end of their first six one-and-ones. Or this: In the first 20 minutes the teams turned the ball over at a rate of more than one per minute.

Talk about playing down to the level of your competition. On paper, at least, this game seemed like a walk-over for Dominguez Hills. Los Angeles (2-15) had not won since early December, a string of 13 consecutive losses. And the Toros (11-6 overall, 3-1 in the CCAA) have been playing some of their best ball of the year. They entered the game having won five of their last six.

Besides 21 turnovers in the first half, both teams had trouble from the field. Dominguez Hills missed its first five attempts and wound up making just six of 21. Los Angeles obliged, hitting just nine of 25 shots.

Three-point attempts, a staple for Dominguez Hills recently, were almost nil. Oh, the Toros continued to shoot them, but only two dropped. Maybe it was the mustard gray background behind the baskets, or the cheerleaders under them. It became obvious early in the game that both teams were struggling.

Toro Coach Dave Yanai tried four players on the point in an attempt to shake up the sluggish Toros, but when Blackmon left the game following his third foul with 7:16 to go, the Toro offense had no bona fide shooter and scored just five more points in the half.

Los Angeles outscored the Toros 12-6 to open the second half and took a 10-point lead on an 18-footer by guard David Porter with 11:36 left.

Back came the Toros. Blackmon’s jumper with 6:11 cut the Golden Eagle lead to 34-32. Baskets by Rhodney Moore, Omar Bray and Andre White gave L.A. a six-point cushion with 1:28 to go.

Suddenly the Toros’ three-point touch returned. Back-to-back field goals by Robert Barksdale and Bryan Dell’Amico knotted the score at 40, and Kevin Shaw’s steal from Moore with 29 seconds to go set up a 10-footer by Dell’Amico that fell off the lip of the rim as the buzzer sounded to end regulation.

Cal State L.A. 67, Dominguez Hills 61--Dominguez Hills women trailed by five points with 14 seconds to play in regulation, but two baskets by Julie Scott, including a three-point field goal at the buzzer sent the game into overtime, tied the game at 59. Scott scored a career and team season high 25 points for the Lady Toros (5-10 overall, 1-2 CCAA). It was the second overtime game in the last four for Dominguez Hills. The Lady Toros play host to Cal State Northridge on Saturday at 5:45 p.m.