Box Score
LOS ANGELES – Cal State L.A.’s men’s basketball team got its second half of California Collegiate Athletic Association play off to a rough start.
The Golden Eagles were completely stymied by Cal State Dominguez Hills and fell to the Toros, 62-45, Wednesday night in the Eagles Nest. Cal State L.A. shot a season-low 26.7 percent from the field and was forced to settle for a season’s split with Cal State Dominguez Hills.
Cal State L.A. (11-6, 7-5 CCAA) fell out of a share of third place in the conference, while Cal State Dominguez Hills (8-9, 8-4 CCAA) edged closer to the top. The Toros are now just one game behind second-place Humboldt State and 1 ½ games behind first-place Cal State San Bernardino.
The Toros, who have now won six of their last seven games, continued their recent stretch of dominating defensive play. Cal State Dominguez Hills has limited four of its last five opponents to less than 50 points, with the exception being Cal State San Bernardino.
Cal State L.A. was the latest to come up short offensively. The Golden Eagles were only 3-of-20 from behind the 3-point arc and made only 12 baskets in the entire game.
The Toros shot 46.2 percent, including 54.5 percent in the second half.
Tim McGrath led five Toros in double figures with 11 pionts. Maquintise Davis, Michael Cox, James Cawthorne and Amir Aguilar had 10 points.
The Golden Eagles came into the game as the No. 1 rebounding team in the conference, but lost the battle of the boards on Wednesday, 39-29.
The Golden Eagles started decently and held a 13-10 lead midway through the first half. A jumper by Jones and a free throw by Hoffman gave Cal State L.A. its final advantage. The Toros took the lead for good after four straight points by Aguilar and extended their lead to nine after consecutive 3-pointers by McGrath, Jamel Ward and McGrath again to make it 25-16. A pair of free throws by
Nuno Furtado cut the margin to 26-17, but the Toros scored the final eight points of the half to take a 34-19 halftime lead.
Over the final 10 minutes of the first half, Cal State L.A. managed only one basket and four free throws.
Things didn’t get any better in the second half. Cal State L.A. got as close as 13 points after a three-point play by
Dwayne Jones, but a three-point play by Aguilar and back-to-back 3-pointers by Cawthorne boosted the Toro lead back to 19 points.
Cal State Dominguez Hills took its biggest lead at 58-34 after a jumper by Davis with 6:41 to go.
Cal State L.A. will return to action on Friday with a home game against Sonoma State.