SEASIDE, Calif. -- The No. 22 Cal State Monterey Bay men's basketball team will look for its first road win of the 2011-12 season when it begins a four-game trip Friday (Jan. 27) at Cal State Dominguez Hills. The Otters will also play Saturday night (Jan. 28) at Cal State L.A.
Those who can't make the trip can follow the action live on
KION 1460 AM and
www.OtterAthletics.com. Rob Ponce will call the action live from courtside starting at 7:15 p.m. each night.
SCOUTING THE TOROS: Cal State Dominguez Hills has climbed to the top of the CCAA on the strength of its defense. The Toros allow opponents to shoot just 37.8 percent from the floor and 29.8 percent from beyond the arc. Both figures rank No. 2 in the CCAA. The Toro offense, meanwhile, features a balanced attack with just one player scoring in double figures for the season. Senior swingman Wayne Andrews leads the way at 11.3 points per game. Junior forward George McGrew chips in 9.0 ppg and a team–best 5.8 rebounds per game.
WHEN LAST WE MET: In a game that was close throughout, the Otters couldn't hold on to a 32–29 halftime lead and fell to CSUDH 63–54 on Dec. 19 in The Kelp Bed. It was still a one–point game with six minutes to play when the Toros used a quick 8–0 run to extend the lead to nine points. The Otters never got closer than six the rest of the way.
Brandon Ward (Riverside/Woodcrest HS) led CSUMB with 21 points and four assists. Everrett Brown led three Toros in double figures with 12 points.
CLOSE SHAVES: If history is any indication, expect a close game when the Otters and Toros clash in the Torodome. Seven of the previous eight meetings have been decided by six or fewer points. The biggest win for either team was a 77–68 (9–point) victory for CSUDH way back on Jan. 27, 2006.
ABOUT LAST WEEK: The Otters continued searching for a way back to the win column with a pair of home losses against CCAA contenders last weekend. CSUMB fell 70–52 to Cal State Stanislaus Friday night and 82–61 to Chico State Saturday night.
Brandon Ward gave the performance of the weekend, scoring a career–high 26 points against Chico State.
CSUDH, meanwhile, climbed back into a tie for the CCAA lead on the strength of a pair of home wins. Friday night, the Toros toppled Cal Poly Pomona, 64–59, behind 14 points from Wayne Andrews. Saturday night, George McGrew poured in 18 points to lead CSUDH over San Francisco State, 60–55.
CLOSE BUT ONE CIGAR: With the exception of their Dec. 3 overtime win against Sonoma State, close games have spelled doom for the Otters so far in 2011–12. The Otters have had the ball with a chance to tie or take the lead in the final minute six times this season, ultimately falling in five of those games. For the record, the games were: Westminster College (L), Sonoma State (W), Notre Dame de Namur (L), Cal State L.A. (L), Cal State East Bay (L) and UCSD (L).
DOUBLE VISION: Derrick Anderson's 15–point, 14–rebound double–double against Sonoma State was not only his first collegiate double–double, it has been the only double–double by an Otter in the last 37 games.
Davion Berry was the last Otter to turn the trick, scoring 24 points with 12 boards in a 78–63 win over Cal State East Bay on Feb. 19, 2010.
START ME UP: By starting Saturday's game versus Chico State,
Brandon Ward continued his steady climb up the CSUMB career starts top 10 list. Ward made his 59th Otter start last Saturday night, solidifying his hold on sole possession of the No. 4 slot. Should Ward start all 26 regular season games in 2011–12, he would end the season with 70 career starts, No. 3 on the all–time list and just six off the record held by current assistant coach
Joe Mitchell.
Also of note,
Derrick Anderson made his 53rd career start against Chico State and holds sole possession seventh on the CSUMB career list.
THE MONTEREY BAY 500: Brandon Ward's final bucket Dec. 10 at Notre Dame de Namur put him in exclusive company. It lifted the junior guard over 500 career points (501). Ward became just the 16th Otter to reach that plateau. He enters the Cal State Dominguez Hills game with 639 points, vaulting him past Mike Miller (615) and Steve Monreal (634) into 12th place. Should he continue at his current pace, Ward will end the regular season as CSUMB's ninth all–time leading scorer.
THE WARD GIVETH… Brandon Ward recorded one more assist Saturday versus Chico State, bringing his career total to 164 assists, good for sole possession of the No. 4 spot.
DShon Cannon owns the Otter record with 371.
…AND THE WARD TAKETH AWAY: Although
Brandon Ward didn't grab a steal against Chico last night, he holds the No. 9 spot on the CSUMB career list with 59 steals.
Joe Mitchell holds the Otter record with 91 steals.
LOUSTALE LEADS THE WAY: Junior forward
Kevin Loustale (Chico HS/Shasta College) has been a model of shooting consistency this season. Shooting at least 60 percent from the floor in eight of his first 10 games in which he recorded a shot, Loustale began the week still leading the CCAA in field goal percentage at 61.3.
OTTERS AMONG THE CCAA LEADERS: Several Otters entered this week's action ranked among the CCAA leaders. Here are the numbers and ranking entering the week for CSUMB players ranked in the top 10:
