This Week in Toros Men's Basketball
December 12, 2005

PDF Version of This Release

This Week in Toros Basketball: The Toros have only one game on tap this week, hosting non-conference foe Hope International on Saturday, December 17, with first tip is scheduled for a 7:30 p.m.

Too Little, Too Late: Junior Durwin Williams’ 22 points led a trio of Toros in double-figure scoring, but host San Diego Christian College's 42-21 halftime lead proved too big an obstacle to overcome as the Hawks held on for a 80-74 win over the Toros on December 10.

After the hosts opened up a commanding 26-6 lead in the game’s first 10 minutes, SDCC entered the locker room with a comfortable 21-point edge. On cruise control, the Hawks enjoyed a 70-47 lead with just 8:44 left in regulation and seemed destined for an easy win, but the Toros nearly staged an improbable comeback, outscoring SDCC by 17 in the final minutes of play. A Williams free throw began the rally, and seven-consecutive Carlos Rivers points over a minute and a half stretch trimmed the lead to 70-55. After SDCC answered to keep the lead at 15 points, the Toros would get to within two points with just 0:12 remaining, only to see the Hawks answer with four-consecutive free throws to seal the win for the SDCC. Rivers chipped in 16 points for the Toros, including a 4-for-4 effort from the foul line, while Shamont Brown contributed 13 points on 6-of-9 shooting from the field.

Home Sweet Home: The Toros welcome Hope International to the Torodome as the first of six-consecutive opponents they face in Carson, a welcome sight after enduring just one win in five road games prior to Saturday’s match-up. After the Royals, CSUDH hosts Dominican University to ring out 2005, before four-consecutive home conference games kick off the new year, beginning with Cal State Bakersfield and Cal State L.A. the weekend of January 6-7, followed by Cal State Stanislaus and Chico State the following weekend.

M.I.A.: Junior Mario Malave was a noticeable omission from the Toros line-up against SDCC last Saturday. Not counting his effort at Sonoma State last Saturday which saw him play just two minutes due to an ankle sprain, Malave averaged 22.8 points over his first four contests, sending word to the rest of the CCAA that the 6’7” forward will be a force with which to be reckoned this year.

Malave led the Toros in scoring in those four contests, adding 7.3 rebounds a game, and has shot a solid 54% from the field (38-of-70) and 70% from the charity stripe (14-of-20), connecting on his only 3-point attempt of the season thus far. Look for the Emeryville native to be back in uniform this Saturday.

Solid Start: After seeing action in two games off the bench in the early going, Durwin Williams made his first start in Cardinal & Gold, and the Compton native did not disappoint. In just 27 minutes of action, the 6’7” forward notched a team-high 22 points on 8-of-13 shooting from the field, including 2-of-3 from behind the 3-point line and a perfect 4-of-4 from the charity stripe.

Williams’ effort and results are no surprise to head coach Damaine Powell, who predicted Williams’ success from the jump: “Durwin, probably my hardest worker and one of my toughest kids, is very unselfish and just wants to win, which is something that can’t be underestimated.”

On One Hand ... : Despite its slow start in the win-loss column, CSUDH is enjoying key contributions from the field while making 42% of its shots. In addition to Malave’s 54% success rate, Murphy Cooper (64%), Joe Johnson (48%) and Mike Steed (40%) give the Toros three other scorers who are finding success from the floor. Furthermore, Nonso Nibo’s solid effort (43%), which includes 1.3 dunks per contest, adds to the Toros’ balanced scoring.

However, on the Other ... : Though the Toros have had little trouble putting up points on the board, their young and inexperienced defense is struggling trying to stop opponents in the early going. While CSUDH is shooting 42% from the field, opponents are making more than half their attempts from the field (.503) and a solid 36% from behind the arc, tell-tale statistics of the team’s 1-5 start.

Guarded Optimism: Guards Carlos Rivers and Jonathan Toliver are emerging as legitimate scoring threats for the Toros, having combined to account for 29% of the scoring from the floor. Rivers has connected for 25 field goals in the early going, good for 2nd-best total on the team, drained 83% of his foul shots (15-of-18) and hit 33% of his 3-point attempts en route to an 12.5 ppg average thus far. Toliver, at 6’5” from Westchester HS, is averaging 7.5 ppg in his first year playing collegiate ball, shooting 33% from the field and 69% from the charity stripe, including a 19-point performance on December 3 at Sonoma State.

It’s Raining Threes: The duo of Rivers and Toliver also is pacing CSUDH from behind the arc, as the guards each have connected for a combined 18 long balls on the season. Toliver, coming on strong as of late, connected for 5-of-11 from behind the arc at Sonoma State, while Rivers connected for three 3-pointers in the victory at San Francisco State on December 2, and a perfect 2-for-2 in the season-opener against Vanguard. Additionally, Murphy Cooper has drained 4-of-6 attempts from behind the arc while seeing action in all six games this season, including a 4-for-5 performance in the loss to Seattle Pacific.

Season Preview - Change is the Operative Word: “Although coach Powell is starting over with 11 new players on his roster, there’s a sense of excitement about Cal State Dominguez Hills men’s basketball, an enthusiasm that’s been missing the past couple years. Powell knows that his squad has the talent to make waves towards moving into the league’s elite, but also realizes that time will be a major factor in his players becoming an actual team, and a contender.” The full season preview.

A Matter of Size: In addition to having 11 new faces, this year’s Toros squad also will have an influx of size. Four of the newcomers stand at least 6’7”, compared to last year’s squad, whose tallest player stood at 6’7”. Junior transfer Trevon Bryant tops the Toros with his 6’9” frame, while fellow junior transfer Joe Johnson stands in at 6’8”. Two other juniors make the 6’7” height, as Mario Malave and Durwin Williams will give CSUDH both a presence and depth in the paint the Toros have not seen for a while. For good measure, senior Eric Montgomery comes in at 6’6”, while freshman Jonathan Toliver is at 6’5”.

Toros Continue 2005-06 Basketball Web Cast Schedule With Waldcast.net: CSUDH and Waldcast.net continue their broadcast schedule for the Toros 2005-06 men’s basketball seasons. A total of 15 men’s games will be web cast, including two preseason exhibition contests, all of which can be heard here on the Cal State Dominguez Hills Athletics Website.

The men’s web cast schedule continues in 2006 as the Toros host Cal State Bakersfield on Friday, January 6, with the CCAA clash scheduled for a 7:30 p.m. first tip.

Longtime southland broadcaster Ronnie Wald, who begins his third year as the basketball broadcast voice of the Toros, will be calling the play-by-play.