CSUDH advances to D-II Elite Eight
CARSON >> The Cal State Dominguez Hills women's basketball team went into halftime of Monday's West Region Tournament final having struggled to build a one-point lead, but coach John Bonner was encouraged.
“To be up one and to have a lot of our players in foul trouble ...I was very proud of our bench for coming in and maintaining our defensive stance,” Bonner said. “I know it was a little out of rhythm offensively, but we felt pretty confident because we had three of our top players sitting out (with foul trouble) ... and to keep a team like this to only six points in that second quarter gave us a lot of confidence, because we knew our offense would eventually kick in.”
In the second half, the host Toros (31-2) took control and cruised to a 73-51 win over Cal State San Marcos.
They advance to the NCAA Division II Elite Eight that starts Monday in St. Joseph, Missouri.
Asia Jordan led the Toros with 19 points. Dawnyel Lair and Deejanae Poland had 13 and 12, respectively, and Danyell Booker added 10.
Jordan was selected Most Outstanding Player of the West Region.
“To go out there and beat them on the boards 51-29, that's our standard, to hold them to six, 12 and 13 over the last three quarters, that's our standard,” Bonner said. “I was really proud our effort and fight ... That's who they've been all year long.”
The third-seeded Cougars shot 1 of 13 in the second quarter, scoring just six points, while the Toros did just enough, making 5 of 18 shots, to take a 27-26 halftime lead.
The second-half charge was led by Lair, the CCAA (California Collegiate Athletic Association) Player of the Year.
Lair played just six minutes in the first half, scoring just two points. In the third quarter, she scored eight quick points and the Toros had a lead they wouldn't relinquish for the remainder of the game.
“We know what she's capable of,” Jordan said of Lair. “I knew at a certain point she's going to lock in and get those easy buckets and that's what we can count on her for.”
Lair ended up with a double-double, adding 11 rebounds, in just 18 minutes of game action.
“To go get a double-double in 18 minutes is incredible,” Bonner said. “She tries to will us to some wins and she just does what's necessary on the court, whatever that is. She's OK sometimes scoring four points as long as she's defending and rebounding.”
The Toros won their two regularseason meetings against the Cougars, but lost the third when the teams met in the CCAA tournament final. That loss served as motivation during the West Region tournament as the the Toros defeated No. 8 Cal Poly Pomona (87-61) and No. 4 Montana State University Billings (77-66) to advance to Monday.
“That's a team (San Marcos) that makes you want to come out and do your best,” Bonner said. “They push you, they're so efficient. They're going to work hard, they try to capitalize on every single mistake. When we played them in the tournament game and we lost that championship, we knew it wasn't the end of our season, but it definitely sat with us.
“They made a lot of shots (in the CCAA championship game) and today I let them just watch the makes and our team was upset because they felt like we were a better defensive team than that and I think we showed that tonight.”
The Cougars shot 23.1 percent in the third quarter and 28.6 in the fourth. The Toros shot 52.9 percent in the third and 44.4 in the fourth.
“In the first half, I felt like they got some shots off, but after the second half, they were tired and exhausted,” Poland said. “We kept pressuring them full court and I felt that pressure wouldn't let them get their shots off.”
What's next
The Toros are the third seed in the Elite Eight and will open against Catawba (28-5) Monday at 10 a.m. in Missouri. If they win, they advance to the semifinals and will face Minnesota-Duluth or Assumption on March 22.