Toros Drop 77-72 Decision to Sonoma State Men
Antoine Griffin leads CSUDH with team-high 18 points and five assists
March 5, 2004

Complete Box Score

Carson, CA -- Cal State Dominguez Hills senior Antoine Griffin (Long Beach, CA/Millikan HS) led the Toros with a team-high 18 points, converting a perfect 6-of-6 from the foul line, but the Toros couldn't overcome James Tipton's game-high totals of 20 points and 12 rebounds as the visiting Seawolves survived a late Toro run to come away with a 77-72 victory on Friday night at the Torodome.

CSUDH falls to 7-19, 5-16 CCAA, while SSU improves to 10-16, 9-12 CCAA.

Sonoma State jumped out to a 9-0 lead with just under five minutes elapsed in the opening frame, but the Toros would cut into the deficit behind Griffin's nine first-half points, narrowing the gap to 13-9 with 12:45 left.

The Seawolves would not relent, however, using Tipton's 12 first-half points to increase their advantage to eight and enter the locker room with a 39-31 lead.

The Toros would find their rhythm after the break, taking their first lead of the contest at 44-43 courtesy of a Lamar Lawrence's (Hawthorne, CA/Bishop Montgomery HS) jumper five minutes into the second half.

The two teams would play nip-and-tuck the rest of way as they tied six times over the next 12 minutes, until SSU's Paul Porter gave the Seawolves the lead for good on a jumper with 1:10 remaining in regulation.

The Toros had chances to forge ahead but missed four opportunities from the field in the final :70 seconds, while SSU would capitalize on its free throw shooting, draining 6-of-7 foul shots with four courtesy of Lamar Abbott.

CSUDH would get a jumper by Jamel Gay (Carson, CA/Artesia HS) with :01 remaining as SSU would escape with a 77-72 victory.

Lawrence and Ryan Meilleur (Lakewood, CA/Artesia HS) each added 12 points in the loss, while Meilleur and Malik Harris (Oakland, CA/Berkeley HS) shared team-high honors with six boards apiece.

SSU's Ryan Hensel contributed 18 points while Abbott chipped in 11 to round out the Seawolves double-figure scorers.

Tipton also added 12 boards to lead the way for both squads.

The Toros conclude their regular season tomorrow night as they host the San Francisco State Gators, honoring seniors playing their final game in a Toro uniform. First tip is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.