Toros Open Season With Road Games

The Cal State Dominguez Hills men’s basketball team opens its season with nonconference games in Northern California tonight and Saturday.

The Toros, who finished 16-11 overall and 5-7 in the California Collegiate Athletic Assn. last season, will visit Cal State Hayward at 7:30 tonight and Sonoma State at 7:30 p.m. Saturday.

Dominguez Hills played both teams last season, defeating Hayward, 76-58, and Sonoma State, 78-63.

The Toros are expected to be led by returning starters Raymond Bennett at guard and Michael Moore at forward. Bennett, an honorable mention All-CCAA selection last season, scored 24 points in the team’s 118-106 loss to the Latvian National Team in an exhibition game last week.

Dominguez Hills also received impressive performances from two newcomers in the game against the Latvians. Sophomore guard Rick Robison, a transfer from El Camino College, scored 19 points, and guard Chris Thompson, a freshman from Artesia High, added 15 points and five assists.

After the games in Northern California, the Toros will play Pepperdine, which finished 22-9 last season and is the preseason favorite in the West Coast Conference, in a nonconference game at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday in Malibu.

Dominguez Hills returns home to play the Fellowship of Christian Athletes in an exhibition game at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday.

The Cal State Dominguez Hills women’s basketball team will be out to defend its title in the Fresno Pacific Tournament tonight and Saturday in Fresno.

Dominguez Hills opens tournament play against San Francisco State at 5:30 p.m. today and the College of Notre Dame meets Fresno Pacific in the other first-round game at 8 p.m. The losers play for the consolation title at 5:30 p.m. Saturday with the championship game to follow.

Dominguez Hills returns four starters from a team that was 15-11 overall and 2-8 in the CCAA last season. They are centers Cheri Bullet (6-foot-1) and Dionne Vanlandingham (6-0), guard-forward Denise Slater (5-8) and guard Karee Bonde.

Bullet and Vanlandingham each scored 15 points in the team’s 118-64 loss to the Latvian National Team last week. Another leader for the Toros was junior forward Erika Manning, a transfer from Orange Coast College, who had 13 points.

Following the Fresno Pacific Tournament, the Toros will visit NCAA Division I opponent Pepperdine in a nonconference game at 5 p.m. Tuesday in Malibu.

The Loyola Marymount women’s volleyball team is hoping to receive a bid to play in the National Invitational Volleyball Championships when the pairings are announced Sunday.

The Lions (17-12) completed their regular season with a four-game victory over Cal State Northridge on Tuesday in a nonconference match. Loyola finished third in the West Coast Conference at 8-6.

Loyola’s selection depends on whether or not Santa Clara, 21-10 overall and the second-place finisher in the WCC, is selected to the NCAA tournament. Those pairings will also be announced Sunday.

The NIVC will only select one team per conference for its 20-team tournament that runs from Thursday through Dec. 7.

Among the leaders for the Lions have been sophomore outside hitter Deanna Doolittle, junior outside hitter Joli Eberhart and freshman setter Robin Ortgiesen.

The Cal State Dominguez Hills men’s basketball team has signed starting center Hamp Lee of Fairfax High to a national letter of intent for next season.

It is the first time in school history that Dominguez Hills has signed a player during the NCAA’s early signing period that ended Wednesday.

Lee is 6-7. Fairfax is regarded as one of the top teams in the L.A. City Section.