CARSON, Calif. – The San Francisco State men's basketball team received double-digit scoring efforts from three players, but it wasn't enough as host Cal State Dominguez Hills registered a 77-66 triumph in a California Collegiate Athletic Association contest on Friday night at the Torodome.
The Toros broke open a tight 57-56 ballgame with a 20-10 run over the final 5:09 to pull away for the victory. CSUDH (3-8, 3-3 CCAA) shot 55.8 percent from the floor on 24 of 43 field goals, while the Gators (10-4, 3-3 CCAA) connected on 44.9 percent (22-for-49) of their attempts. In addition, the Toros made 12 more trips to the charity stripe than SF State, sinking 25 of 34 free throws, while the Gators drained 16 of their 22 foul shots.
Freshman Nefi Perdomo (Oakland, Calif., Skyline HS ) tied for game high honors with 17 points, including a 9-for-10 clip from the free-throw line, while junior Marquel Hoskins (Beloit, Wis., Beloit Memorial HS, Reedley College) added 14. Fellow classmate Tim Pratt (Eureka, Calif., Eureka HS, College of the Redwoods) also got into the act, equaling his season bests of 12 points and three assists to go along with six rebounds.
CSUDH was paced by Tim McGrath, who totaled all of his 17 points in the second half to match Perdomo's effort, while Robert Willhite and Michael Cox contributed 14 points and six rebounds, respectively.
The first half was a back-and-forth affair that featured seven ties and 12 lead changes as neither side held more than a three-point lead. After jumper by Maquintise Davis gave the Toros a 17-14 advantage, SF State responded with a 6-0 run capped by a Perdomo free throw to go out in front 20-17 with 7:34 remaining. The Gators maintained the upper hand for the next four-and-a-half minutes until a Cox tip-in put the home team back in front 30-28 with 2:56 left.
Hoskins followed with a 3-pointer on SF State's next possession at the 2:07 mark. Then shortly before the break, two Pratt baskets sandwiched around a pair of Willhite foul shots gave the Gators a slim 35-34 edge, but Jamel Ward nailed a jumper with three ticks on the clock to put the Toros up 36-35 heading into intermission.
SF State took its final lead of the night at 37-36 when Pratt drained a jumper on the Gators' first possession of the second half. The two sides then traded baskets, as Hawthorne buried a 3-pointer, while senior Derek Fletcher (San Jose, Calif., Branham HS) drilled a jumper to give the contest its last tie at 39-39 with 17:24 to go. After a Gator miss, a Ward basket put CSUDH ahead to stay 41-39 with 16:34 remaining.
The Toros were able to stretch the margin to six on three occasions, with two McGrath free throws giving the hosts a 56-50 advantage at the 6:20 mark. SF State was able to narrow the gap to 57-56 shortly thereafter as a trey by Perdomo with 5:09 left punctuated a 6-1 run.
That would be as close as the Gators would get, however, as CSUDH responded with a 10-0 flurry of its own, capped by a McGrath triple, to go up 66-56 at the 2:38 mark. SF State closed to within seven after senior Jeremy Francis (San Francisco, Calif., George Washington HS, Mayville State Univ.) hit a 3-pointer with 1:21 left to pull the visitors to within seven at 69-62. However, the Toros converted eight free throws in the final minute to seal the win.
The Gators resume their four-game road swing on Saturday when they tackle Cal State L.A. beginning at 7:30 p.m.
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