CARSON, Calif. - Robert Willhite scored 16 points and Michael Cox finished with 11 to lead Cal State Dominguez Hills to a 67-55 victory over UC San Diego in a California Collegiate Athletic Association matchup on Sunday afternoon at the Torodome on the CSUDH campus. Senior guard Jordan Lawley led all scorers with 17 points in a losing effort for the Tritons.
The Toros improve to 2-7 overall and 2-2 in the CCAA with the win. CSUDH entered the weekend having lost its first seven games of the season, but defeated Cal State East Bay 65-61 on Saturday before downing the Tritons on Sunday.
UCSD falls to 2-6 overall and 1-4 in conference play with the loss. The Tritons have now lost two in a row after defeating Cal State East Bay and San Diego Christian College in their final two games of December. UCSD has lost four straight at the hands of the Toros.
Willhite was just 2-of-4 from the field but converted 11-of-12 at the free throw line to lead Cal State Dominguez Hills. He also finished with six rebounds. Cox finished 5-of-8 from the floor and hauled down a game-high eight boards.
Lawley went 5-of-13 from the field and 7-of-11 at the charity stripe to pace the Tritons for the third consecutive game, but he was the only Triton to reach double figures. The Lodi, Calif. native also tallied three rebounds and four assists in a game-high 38 minutes.
Christian Hatch finished with nine points on 3-of-6 shooting, while Jake Tarabilda and Dylan Bohanan had eight points apiece.
UCSD took a 21-15 lead on a three-pointer by Tyler Acevedo with eight minutes remaining in the opening half, but CSUDH responded with a 9-0 run to turn a six-point deficit into a 24-21 advantage with 4:23 left in the period.
After a Lawley layup tied it at 27 with 1:13 left until halftime, Cox hit a jumper and Willhite sank a pair of free throws to give the Toros a 31-27 advantage at the break.
The Tritons erased a seven-point deficit and came back to take a 39-38 lead on a three-point play by Lawley with 14 minutes left in the game, but the home team would score the next seven to grab a 45-39 lead with 11:48 left on the clock. Stephen Faulkner's tip-in with 6:49 left gave the Toros a 51-44 cushion and a jumper by Jamel Ward four minutes later made it 59-48.
UCSD closed to within six (59-53) with 2:15 left to play, but Ward answered with a three on the other end and Dominguez pulled away for the 12-point victory.
The Toros shot 40.4% (19-47) for the game, while the Tritons finished at 40.5% (17-42). CSUDH was 25-of-35 at the foul line, 71%, while UCSD was 16-of-24, 67%.
The Toros held a 34-20 advantage on the glass and outscored the Tritons 17-1 on second chance points.
The Tritons will look to get things turned around when they come home to host Chico State and Cal State Stanislaus as conference play continues next weekend. UCSD will entertain the Wildcats in its CCAA home opener Thursday evening at 7:30 p.m.
