Dominguez Impressive in Rout of Pomona : Basketball: The Toros open fast and don’t let up in 90-63 victory. Their 11-3 record ties the best start in school history.

Granted, the Cal State Dominguez Hills men’s basketball team has yet to reach the toughest part of the California Collegiate Athletic Assn. schedule.

Particularly with a road game against Cal State Bakersfield, the defending NCAA Division II champion, coming up on Saturday.

But it was hard to find fault in the Toros’ 90-63 victory over Cal Poly Pomona on Saturday night at Dominguez Hills.

The Toros (11-3) got their season high in points while matching the best start in school history and improving to 2-0 in the conference.

The Toros, who also started 11-3 in 1980-81 and 1986-87, shot 52.6% from the floor, making 26 of 46 shots, including eight of 11 from three-point-range (66.7%)--both season highs.

“This was the best two halves we played. This was a game for 40 minutes,” said Dominguez Hills Coach Dave Yanai. “We really put some possessions together on offense and defense.”

Carlos Paul had a game-high 24 points for Dominguez Hills, which had 19 steals and forced 28 turnovers against Pomona (9-7, 0-2).

Sal Serrano posted a career-high 20 points, including four three-point baskets. Chris Thompson added 16 for the Toros, who beat Cal State San Bernardino, 66-57, on Thursday in their conference opener.

Serrano, a 5-foot-10 senior guard, was six of six from the field and did not miss in four attempts from the free-throw line.

“We’ve been playing in spurts,” Serrano said. “This was the first time we finally put two halves together and showed what we could do.”

It didn’t take the Toros, who led by 30 points in the second half, very long to secure their third victory in a row.

Dominguez Hills raced to a 12-2 lead in the first four minutes with the help of three three-point baskets, including two by Thompson.

The Toros stretched their lead to 35-15 on a three-pointer by Serrano with 6 minutes, 35 seconds left in the half.

Serrano sank his third three-point basket of the half as time expired to give Dominguez Hills a 52-29 lead.

The Toros scored nine of the first 11 points of the second half, including five by Thompson during the spurt, to build a 61-31 lead with 16:10 remaining.

“Everybody is blending together, making everything starting to click,” Paul said. “We’re 2-0, but we have a lot higher goals. We’re right where we want to be going up north (to Bakersfield).”