The Cal State Dominguez Hills (CSUDH) men’s basketball team secured a hard-fought victory over Central Washington University (CWU) in a defensive showdown, holding off a late comeback to win 77-65.
The Toros came out strong, setting the tone early with an aggressive start. At the 15-minute mark, CSUDH held a slim 10-8 lead. Moments later, graduate student guard David Cheatom converted an and-one play, extending the lead to 13-8 with 14:30 remaining in the first half.
Both teams locked in defensively, making it tough to score. CWU hit a contested jumper to cut the deficit to 15-14 at the 12-minute mark, but the Toros answered back as graduate student Guard Alex Garcia powered through contact for an and-one layup, pushing the lead to 18-14 with 11:23 left.
Despite CSUDH maintaining control, CWU freshman guard Jamari Harris drilled a three-pointer at the eight-minute mark, giving the Wildcats a 23-21 lead over the Toros. The game turned into a back-and-forth battle, with CSUDH reclaiming the advantage at 24-23 with 6:30 remaining.
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Momentum shifted toward the Toros when senior forward Adam Afifi knocked down a three-pointer with 5:30 left in the half. Junior guard Jeremy Dent-Smith followed with another deep shot at the five-minute mark, pushing the lead to 32-24. CSUDH extended their advantage to 10 points with four minutes left but CWU clawed back, cutting the deficit to four with 45 seconds to go.
In a dramatic finish to the half, CWU junior guard Garrett Anderson hit a buzzer-beating three-pointer, bringing the Wildcats within one as CSUDH led 36-35 at the break.
The second half opened with another key play from Cheatom, who finished a putback to extend the Toro lead to 40-36 with 17:30 left. CSUDH continued to apply pressure, maintaining a 47-40 advantage at the 13-minute mark.
The Toros built their largest lead of the game at 55-43 with nine minutes to go, fueled by an and-one play from graduate student guard DJ Guest. CSUDH kept their foot on the gas, stretching the lead to 61-47 with 7:12 remaining.
Cheatom led the charge with a game-high 20 points, while CWU redshirt senior forward Mitch Brizee paced the Wildcats with 14 points. Despite a late push from CWU, trimming the lead to 12 at the four-minute mark, the Toros maintained their composure and secured the 69-57 victory.
CSUDH outshot CWU from the field by hitting 44.4 percent (28-63) of their shots, compared to the 46.2 percent (24-52) of CWU. The Toros also dominated in the paint, scoring 44 points inside compared to 30 by CWU. Second-chance opportunities proved crucial, as CSUDH grabbed 21 second-chance points, while CWU managed four.
Toros head coach Steve Becker mentioned in the post-game press conference his team had a hunger to get this win versus a talented CWU team.
“They beat us in the first round of the NCAA Tournament last year and our guys haven’t forgotten about it, nor have I,” Becker said. “We were really hungry for this matchup and we dominated the glass 43 to 26 with 18 offensive rebounds. I thought that was massive and just our ability to buy into the scheme from a defensive standpoint”.
Cheatom also acknowledged what allowed him to be successful in the victory.
“Just went out there and played confidently,” Cheatom said. “My teammates are very confident in me and it feels good out there. It feels like practice, we are out there just having fun”.
With the win, CSUDH advances to face Point Loma in their next matchup, looking to build on their momentum.
