Lukewarm Toros Get Hot at the Free-Throw Line, Down Bakersfield, 68-56

That cold streak in field-goal shooting continued to plague Cal State Dominguez Hills Thursday night, but it still wasn’t enough to stop the Toros from downing another California Collegiate Athletic Conference opponent.

Their 68-56 victory over Cal State Bakersfield before a near-capacity crowd at Civic Auditorium was supposed to showcase a battle between Toro senior center Anthony Blackmon, the league’s scoring and rebounding leader, and his heir apparent, Bakersfield freshman Von Bennett.

Instead, the game proved that even when a team is in a shooting slump, it can win if it plays good defense and does what Coach Dave Yanai calls the “subtle things.”

The Toros, who blew an 11-point first-half lead, were not subtle from the free-throw line. They hit 30 of 33 free throws. And because of the defense, the triumph marked the sixth consecutive game in which Dominguez Hills (5-1, 13-6 overall) has kept an opponent below 60 points. The Toros, who are at San Luis Obispo on Saturday night, have won eight of their last nine games and have a four-game winning streak.

“Defense and free throws have been our two strong points,” Yanai said.

Bakersfield (3-3, 14-5) was playing without its leading scorer, forward Troy Price. Price returned home to Arizona on Thursday afternoon on what Bakersfield officials would only say was a “personal emergency.”

“He is a great athlete that can create problems for anyone,” said Yanai of Price. “It was a big help to us not to have Price to play against.”

Dominguez Hills was sluggish from the field for the third consecutive game. The Toros shot 17 of 38 from the field. Over the last three games the Toros have shot only 40% from the field.

Blackmon made just six of 17 from the field. In his last three games he is 17 of 49. He added seven rebounds and seven blocked shots, a school record for one game.

Bennett fouled out with only four points.

Only three players contributed to the scoring for Dominguez Hills in the first half. Yet, the Toros held a big advantage in free throws, making 12 of 13. Bakersfield went to the line only four times.

Blackmon’s second basket over the top of Bennett came at the 12:58 mark. But it wasn’t until 11 minutes later that the senior center scored from the floor again.

The Toros turned the ball over four times in the next 5 1/2 minutes and Bakersfield converted. The Roadrunners scored the next six times they had the ball.

Bakersfield, which led 30-29 at the half, grabbed a five-point lead in the first eight minutes of the second period. A pair of free throws by guard Wade Green made the score 41-36.

Dominguez Hills clawed back. Michael Bell made both ends of the one-and-one with 10:25 to go, but Noel Nash reciprocated a minute later.

Two free throws by Robert Barksdale got the Toros even 43 seconds later with a three-point basket, only the third field goal of the second half for the Toros.

The score seesawed to 49 each. But from there the Toros outscored the Roadrunners 8-0, thanks to four consecutive bonus shots, and led 57-49 with 2:19 to go.

Blackmon finished with 20 points and Barksdale had 17. Kenyatta Kalisana, who came off the bench, scored 10 points, all in the second half, to spur the Toros.