Box Score: Sonoma State 73, #15 Cal State Dominguez Hills 53
ROHNERT PARK, Calif- For five Sonoma State seniors, it was the end of the road, but they dominated every aspect of the game and went out with a stunning 73-53 upset of No. 15 Cal State Dominguez Hills on Friday at The Wolves' Den in Rohnert Park. The Seawolves end their 2010-11 campaign with a 11-15 overall record and 9-13 in the CCAA, finishing ninth in the conference standings. The Toros (20-6, 16-6 CCAA) will head into next week's CCAA Championship Tournament as the No. 2 seed and face Chico State in the opening round.
It was the first time that Sonoma State defeated a ranked opponent since it did so against 13th-ranked Central Washington, a 81-74 win back on Nov. 28, 2008.
The Seawolves led from start to finish, jumping out to a large 16-6 lead with 11 minutes left in the first half. The Toros got to within six points (18-12) at the 9:47 mark, but it would be as close as they would get the rest of the way, Sonoma State extended its lead to the largest of the first half (13 points), taking a 35-22 lead on two free throws by
Will Olsem with three seconds left. However, CSUDH's Rashad Bias sent the Toros into the locker room trailing by ten points on a buzzer-beater from half court.
The SSU lead would remain in double-digits though, and even led by as much as 28 points (71-43) with 2:55 left in the game.
Senior
Matthew French had a huge game, despite picking up two quick fouls early in the contest. He proceeded to lead all scorers with 19 points on 8 of 15 shooting from the floor. Senior
Mike Nelson also had a big game, dropping in 17 points on 6 of 10 shooting, including 5 of 9 from three-point range, four of which came before halftime. Seniors
Ben Washington and
James Sandoval scored six and four points, respectively. Senior
Mike Stornaiuolo also got some playing time, but was 0 for 2 from the floor in three minutes of play.
Sonoma State hit on 50 percent of its shots (26-52), while holding Cal State Dominguez Hills to 40 percent (20-50). The Seawolves hit 10 three-pointers (10-26).
Rashad Bias came off the bench to score 13 points, the only Toro in double figures on Friday night.
It is the end of the season, though, for the Sonoma State men's basketball team, as they finished in ninth place in the CCAA standings, one game out of the top eight.
