CSUDH Drops CCAA Men's Contest to CSUB, 79-63
Junior Eric Crookshank leads Toros with 18 points in loss
January 16, 2004

Complete Box Score

Carson, CA -- Cal State Dominguez Hills junior Eric Crookshank (Vallejo, CA/Chabot JC) tallied team-highs of 18 points and nine rebounds, including eight on the offensive end, but visiting Cal State Bakersfield used four Roadrunners who scored in double-figures to take a 79-63 victory over the Toros on Friday night at the Torodome.

CSUDH falls to 5-7, 3-4 CCAA, while CSUB improves to 10-2, 6-1 CCAA.

The visitors started strong, taking a 14-3 lead with eight minutes elapsed in the first half. Led by Crookshank's six points and Lamar Lawrence's (Hawthorne, CA/Pasadena CC) five points in the first 20-minute session, the Toros would trim the deficit to as close as seven, but CSUB's Fred Nichols topped all scorers in the first frame with 15 points on 7-of-11 shooting to boost the 'Runner lead to 35-20 with 2:26 remaining in the half.

A Ryan Meilleur (Lakewood, CA/Artesia HS) jumper and Jamel Gay (Carson, CA/Artesia HS) layup with time winding down cut the CSUB lead to 37-26, keeping CSUDH in striking distance. Cal State Dominguez Hills would get within seven points on a Crookshank jumper at the 15:09 mark, but CSUB would not relent, increasing its lead to as much as 61-45 on a Curtis Washington jumper, and using that momentum to stretch its cushion to 77-57 on two Washington free throws.

CSUDH would answer with six-consecutive points, courtesy of a Saul Lankster (Long Beach, CA/Compton Centennial HS) three-pointer and a jumper and free throw by Gay with just over a minute left in the game, but the Toros couldn't recover from their early hole, eventually falling 79-63.

Antoine Griffin (Long Beach, CA/CS Monterey Bay) contributed 10 points in the loss, while Malik Harris' (Oakland, CA/Berkeley HS) five steals tied for team-high honors.

For the 'Runners, Nichols would tally the game's sole double-double, scoring 21 points and pulling down 10 boards. Andre Hardwick chipped in with 19 points, while Washington and Alfred Williams scored 16 and 13 points, respectively, rounding out the CSUB double-figure scorers.

The visitors made 60% of their second-half shots to secure the victory.

Cal State Dominguez Hills hosts Cal State Stanislaus tomorrow night at the Torodome, with tipoff scheduled for a 7:30 p.m. start.