CHICO, Calif. – Greg Clink, Chico State’s first-year head coach, has wanted to see the California Collegiate Athletic Association’s (CCAA) best this season in order to get a better feel for the competition. He may have seen the CCAA’s best Friday night in Cal State Dominguez Hills. The visiting Toros dominated the game from the opening tip and ran away to an 83-54 victory in Acker Gym, handing the Wildcats their worst home loss since 2003 in the process.
The margin of victory was Dominguez Hills’ largest ever against Chico State and improved the Toros’ record away from home to a CCAA-best 6-1.
Jonathan Toliver led a very balanced Cal State Dominguez Hills attack with 13 points. Rodney Yearby finished with 12 points, Michael Hernandez finished with 11 points and seven assists, and Robert Willhite and James Cawthorne came off the bench to score 10 points apiece. Dominguez Hills shot 59 percent as a team, and no Toro who shot more than four times shot less than 50 percent.
Perhaps more impressive was Dominguez Hills’ defense and rebounding prowess. The Toros held Chico State to 30 percent shooting and outrebounded the Wildcats 38-21. Ryan Walton led the assault on the glass with seven boards as one of seven Toros to grab three or more rebounds.
Chico State, which entered the game 4-1 at home, fell to 5-9 overall and 2-5 in the CCAA. Zach Graves and Andy Bocian paced Chico State with 12 points apiece. The total was the highest of Graves’ collegiate career.
Dominguez Hills never trailed in the game and ended the first half on a 9-2 run that gave them a double-digit lead for good. Hernandez buried a shot from half court at the buzzer to give the Toros a 40-26 halftime advantage. That momentum helped them score the first 10 points of the second half (a 19-2 run spanning the end of the first half and beginning of the second) that pushed their lead to 50-26. The lead grew as large as 35 (76-41 with 4:19 to play).
Chico State will attempt to bounce back against Cal State L.A. Saturday night. Last weekend the Wildcats lost a tough one to Humboldt State and rallied on Saturday night to beat Sonoma State. Tipoff is scheduled for 7:30.
BOX SCORE
