BOX SCORE

CARSON, Calif. — Shooting as if the ball had been soaked in liquid nitrogen, the Cal State Monterey Bay men's basketball team made just four first-half field goals as host Cal State Dominguez Hills took a big lead at halftime and coasted to a 75-57 win Friday night at the Torodome.

CSUMB (2-14, 1–11 CCAA) shot just 17 percent in the first half (4-of-23) yet somehow stayed within 11 points (32-31) at the break. But while the Otters shot much better in the second half, Dominguez Hills caught fire.

The Otters made four of their first five to open the second half and finished the period shooting a respectable 45 percent. But the Toros made 13-of-19 from the field in the second half, allowing them to open a 22-point lead at one juncture before settling on the 18-point final margin
“I told the guys in the lockerroom, it's all between the ears right now,” said CSUMB Head Coach Rob Bishop. “We weren't ready to play when we got off the bus. It was a combination of things in the first half.”

Even without much shooting success, the Otters were in the game for most of the first half. They were down just 23-17 inside the five-minute mark when a quick 8-0 run put the Toros up 31-17. CSUMB never got closer than 11 for the rest of the night.

Junior guard Brandon Ward led the Otters in scoring for the seventh time in 16 games this season, leading all scorers with 16 points. Van Girard led a balanced Toro stat sheet with 14 points.

The Otters will try to bounce back into the win column when they head across the I-710 to face Cal State L.A. Saturday night. Tip-off is at 7:30 p.m. as the nightcap of men's/women's doubleheader action.