Dominguez Hills Coach Needs Two to Make 200 Wins

The 200-win watch for basketball Coach Dave Yanai continues at Cal State Dominguez Hills.

The Toros (2-4) need victories over visiting Point Loma tonight and Northern Colorado on Saturday for Yanai, whose teams have won 198 games and lost 158 in his 14 years of collegiate coaching, to reach that milestone.

Most observers, including Yanai, thought he would have reached 200 by now. But Yanai indicated that this year’s Toros will take more time to gel than he expected.

“The key factor is that we have not finished the shots we should have,” Yanai said. “Our offense always evolves more slowly than the defense.”

Yanai still says this team could be among his finest. Dominguez Hills leads its opponents in rebounding and scoring average but has lost three overtime decisions, including a disputed 67-64 loss last week to Southern California College.

In that game, a referee’s decision after the buzzer sounded sent the game into overtime when it appeared that the Toros had won by two points. Videotapes of the game reviewed at Dominguez Hills earlier this week showed that the game-tying basket came after the clock had expired.

As for No. 200, Yanai said: “I tell you what: I’d just like to get that victory No. 3 for the season.”

Tonight’s and Saturday’s games both start at 7:30 p.m. Guard Keith Billingslea, a senior transfer from Northern Arizona, becomes eligible to play Saturday. He is expected to give the Toros added scoring power, having averaged in double figures throughout his career.