By Kaila Morales |Staff Writer|
The Coyote men’s basketball team had high hopes to secure a win against the Cal State Dominguez Hills Toros.
The Coyotes faced the Toros previously on Dec.19 and played for the best outcome in this rematch after losing 72-90.
On Jan. 23 the Coyotes got exactly what they hoped at Saturday’s home game.
The first half of the game started out a bit rough, as the Coyotes needed more than Everett Turner’s five free throw attempts and Darryl Adigwu’s three-pointer.
After being down 11 points, the Coyotes started to pick up the pace at the end of the first half.
Both Turner and Adigwu turned the first half around with the help of Keith Smith.
Ending the first half, the Coyotes were only down by two points, 31-33.
“I think playing hard and playing with confidence is what has been working for me,” said Adigwu.
In the second half, the Coyotes kept up with the Toros while the two teams scored back and forth, keeping the score close.
With 12 minutes left in the second half the Coyotes lead by seven points.
The Coyotes focused to maintain the lead throughout the game.
The Toros managed to score but were still down until they gained the lead in the last 10 seconds of the game.
At that moment, opponent Vincent Golson took the lead for the Toros with a jump shot, placing the score at 71-69.
The ball was rushed up the court by Smith who found an open Juan Martinez.
Martinez fired a three-pointer giving the Coyotes the lead, with a score of 72-71.
The Toros had seconds left to a win, Toro Golson attempted a three point but missed.
This marked another win for the Coyotes.
The Coyotes have struggled since the beginning of their season with a total of seven losses out of a 10 game season.
This game gave the Coyotes an overall record of 7-9 and 4-8 in the California Collegiate Athletic Association.
“I think we’re starting to apply the concepts our coaches are teaching us—to the court—and we’re playing well as a unit,” said Senior Shawn Joseph.
“These last few wins have come from a consistent team effort and it helps that guys are making big shots,” added Joseph.
Smith was the leading scorer with a game high of 19 points against the Toros.
The Coyotes’ game scoring leaders included Turner with 18 points, Desi Barmore with 12 points and Adigwu with a total of 10 points.
With less than 10 games left in the season, the Coyotes will face the UC San Diego Tritons on Feb. 6 for their next home game.
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