Toros Drop CCAA Contest to Cal Poly Pomona, 77-66
Natasha Gray leads CSUDH with team-high 18 points
February 13, 2003

Complete Box Score

Carson, CA -- Cal State Dominguez Hills freshman Natasha Gray (Long Beach, CA/LB Poly) and sophomore Tameka Blue (Watsonville, CA/Santa Cruz HS) led the Toros with 18 and 17 points, respectively, but Cal Poly Pomona's Candice Allen tallied a game-high 29 points on 11-of-22 shooting while her Broncos converted 24 free throws to the Toros' six as CPP came away with a 77-66 win on Friday night at the Torodome.

CSUDH falls to 10-10, 6-9 CCAA, while Cal Poly Pomona improves to 14-6, 10-5 CCAA.

CPP started quick, taking a 14-5 lead with 6:42 elapsed in the first half. Led by Blue's seven first half points, CSUDH mounted a comeback, whittling the deficit to 18-12 over the next four-minute span. The Broncos would not relent, however, increasing their lead to 27-16 with 5:09 left until halftime, using a decided 11-1 free throw shooting advantage in the first half to their favor.

The Toros would narrow the gap thanks to two buckets each by Gray and Joi Cooper (Long Beach, CA/Chaparral HS), but the Broncos would take a 33-27 lead entering the locker room.

After exchanging baskets to begin the second 20-minute frame, CPP ran off 17 of the next 25 points to take its biggest lead at 50-35, a run capped by two Brandi Fletcher free throws at the 13:29 mark.

The Toros would inch back behind Gray's 12 second-half points, getting back to single digits on a Blue jumper just two minutes later. A Blue three-pointer at 6:56 trimmed the lead even further, narrowing the margin to 61-55 and giving the Toros momentum.

Seven-consecutive Bronco points, however, would stem the CSUDH tide, giving CPP control for good. The Toros would claw to within eight points, but behind Allen's 19 second-half effort, the Broncos would not buckle, gaining a hard-fought 77-66 victory.

Zipporah Chase (Los Angeles, CA/Carson HS) added 10 rebounds for the Toros, matching CPP's Shanika Perkins for game-high honors on the glass, while Blue led all players with five assists in the loss.

Cal Poly Pomona's Keila Beachem and Fletcher tallied identical 12-point, seven-rebound efforts on the evening.

As a team, CPP converted 70.6% of its foul shots, nailing 13 in the second half alone. The Toros shot 47.4% from the field, compared to 44.8% for the Broncos.

The Toros host Cal State San Bernardino tomorrow night at the Torodome, with tipoff scheduled for a 5:30 p.m. start.-