UC San Diego Men Use Second Half Comeback to Beat Toros, 62-57
Sean Crawford pours in 20 to lead Tritons to first win over Toros in 25 years
January 10, 2003

Complete Box Score

CARSON, Calif.-President Jimmy Carter was in the White House the last time UC San Diego tasted victory over Cal State Dominguez Hills. The 25-year wait is over as the Tritons came back from a two-point halftime deficit, behind 15 second-half points from Sean Crawford, to defeat the Toros, 62-57, in California Collegiate Athletic Association action Friday night in the Torodome.

CSUDH falls to 3-7 overall and 1-4 in CCAA play, while UC San Diego improves to 3-7 and 2-3 in league action. Cal State Dominguez Hills took a 32-30 advantage into the break. The Toros came out and scored the first four points of the second half to take its biggest lead of the game, 36-30, on a basket by Andre' Brown (San Jose, CA) at 18:31. But UCSD went on a 11-2 spurt over the next five minutes to take a 41-38 lead after one of two free throws by Crawford with 13:37 remaining.

CS Dominguez Hills freshman guard Saul Lankster (Compton Centennial HS) answered with three consecutive 3-point baskets in the Toros next three possessions to give CSUDH a 47-45 lead with 9:10 left. Two charity shots by forward Lamar Lawrence (Bishop Montgomery HS) gave the Toros a 49-45 margin with just under seven minutes to play.

CSUDH's Justin Goree (Fairfield, CA) gave the Toros a 51-48 lead after a nice running-jumper in the lane with 5:57 on the clock. It would also be the last lead Cal State Dominguez Hills would enjoy. Crawford's three-point shot at 5:04 tied the game, 51-51. Crawford then put the Tritons up for good, 54-51, in its next possession with another 3-pointer at 4:17.

UC San Diego stretched its lead as high as eight points in the final minute before settling for the 62-57 win. The Tritons sealed the victory going 6-7 at the free throw line over the final three minutes of the game. CSUDH went cold going 2-7 from the field over the same span. Crawford's 20 points, including 15 in the second half, led UC San Diego. Adam Snyder poured in 15 points while Jordan Watkins added 12 and a team-best five rebounds.

For the Toros, Lankster led with a career-high 18 points off the bench going 6-11 from the floor including a blistering 5-7 from long range. Goree added 16 points in the losing effort. Brown came off the bench to grab a game-high seven rebounds.

Cal State Dominguez Hills is back in league action hosting Grand Canyon University tomorrow night in the Torodome at 7:30 p.m.