SAN DIEGO--Point Loma's amazing run through the Pacific West Conference regular season and tournament championships came to a close on Monday night at Golden Gymnasium at the hands of the CSU Dominguez Hills Toros, 61-58.
CSU Dominguez Hills Adam Afifi took a perfect feed from Jeremy Dent-Smith in the paint and dropped it home for what turned out to be the game winner with 11 seconds left to give the Toros the trip to Evansville, Indiana for the Elite Eight next week. The Sea Lions' season concludes at 29-5, while CSUDH moves to 28-5.
After Afifi's basket, the Sea Lions missed a three-pointer at the other end of the court and quickly fouled. The Toros then missed both free throws, giving Luke Haupt one last shot from half court to tie, but his bomb just missed, bouncing off the back of the bracket.
Afifi finished with 23 points, 12 rebounds, three blocks and three steals. Zack Paulsen led the Sea Lions with 22 points.
The Toros led for almost the entire first half in front of a loud Point Loma crowd. They held a 33-27 margin at the break, and would push that lead to ten points early in the second half.
Point Loma then went on a 9-0 run to tie the game at 42-42, and from there the game went back and forth. There were eight ties and ten lead changes, the last tie at 58-58 on Haupt's driving lay-up.
The Toros would take the lead on one free throw by Alex Garcia with 54 seconds left (59-58). On the next Point Loma possession, they turned the ball over on a offensive foul with 37 seconds left. CSUDH then worked the clock down to perfection before Dent-Smith's dish to Afifi and the ensuing Point Loma miss at the other end of the court.