Seniors End Careers With 70-65 Win Over CS Monterey Bay on Senior Day
Toros tally one more win than last year, and return 8 letter-winners in 2007-08
March 3, 2007

Complete Box Score

Carson, CA - Cal State Dominguez Hills played an inspired second half in sending its four seniors out in style with a hard-fought 70-65 win in front of a packed Saturday night crowd at the Torodome. With the win, CSUDH improves to 12-15, 9-13 CCAA, exceeding last year's records by one win each. CSUMB, meanwhile, also ends its season at 12-15, 9-13 CCAA.

The seniors on the men's team pose with their families during Senior Night. Pictured left to right are: Gabe Bernard, Trevon Bryant, Murphy Cooper, and Shamont Brown. Photo by Michael Foo Senior Night Photo Gallery

The visitors jumped out strong from the tip, scoring the first six points of the game over the first 3 1/2 minutes of play. After cutting into the lead at 10-9, the Toros used a perfectly-executed alley-oop to the high-flying Jamaal Barnes (Compton, CA/Compton JC), courtesy of a Jonathan Toliver (Inglewood, CA/Westchester HS) feed, to take their first lead of the contest, spurring a 7-0 run that saw CSUDH take a 16-10 advantage at the 9:32 mark.

The Otters would answer that with an 8-0 run of their own to reclaim the lead on a 3-pointer by Dante Green until a Mike Steed (Antelope, CA/Center HS) lay-up tied the game at 18-18. Tied is where the two teams would remain as they entered the break, splitting the next 10 points to go into intermission at 23-23.

Both teams continued to play nip-and-tuck after the break, with the Toros taking a 48-45 lead on a Toliver lay-up and one made Barnes free throw at 10:33. Fittingly, senior Shamont Brown (Jamaica, NY/Riverside CC) would take the Toros on his shoulders, scoring 14 of his 15 total points after the break, and leading a high-pressure defense that turned three CSUMB turnovers into a 66-56 lead at 5:17, emphasized by a monstrous Barnes throw-down.

CSUDH kept its lead at 10 points until four-consecutive points by D'Shon Cannon brought the Otters to within striking distance at 66-60 with 2:12 left in regulation. After a rushed Toro attempt with the shot clock winding down went for naught, CSUMB's Green sank two free throws with 1:12 on the clock to bring CSUMB to within four, but Jamel Ward (Los Angeles, CA/Inglewood HS) answered with a 3-pointer with 49 seconds left to secure the ultimate 70-65 victory.

Brown paced a quintet of Toros in double-figure scoring with 15 points while Toliver and Barnes ended with 12 each. Steed and Ward rounded out the double-digit scorers with 10 points apiece.

Green paced all scorers with 19 points on 7-of-9 shooting from the field, while Jenkins chipped in 13 and Aeshraff Dabbas 10 in the Otter loss.

The Toros bade farewell to four seniors playing in their final regular season game in Gabe Bernard (North Hills, CA/University of Texas at San Antonio) Brown, Trevon Bryant (Tifton, GA/Compton CC) and Murphy Cooper (Compton, CA/ Compton JC).

In 2007-08, they return eight players in hopes of earning their first CCAA Conference title since the 1986-87 season.