Women's Basketball 1/16/2010 9:34:17 PM Mike Murphy, SID

Coyotes hold off Toros, 65-58

Ooten, Urzua score 18 apiece as CSUSB women win second in a row

Senior Nikki Boone had five points, a steal and two blocked shots Saturday in the win over Cal State Dominguez Hills.

   Box Score

     Cal State San Bernardino opened up a 23-9 lead on Cal State Dominguez Hills early in the first half and then held off the Toros in the final minutes of the second half for a 65-58 CCAA women's conference victory before 401 fans on Stater Bros. Youth Night in Coussoulis Arena.
    The victory improves CSUSB to 9-5 on the season and 5-4 in the CCAA while the Toros are now 4-10 overall and 3-6 in the CCAA.
    Junior forward Kimberly Ooten and senior guard Krystal Urzua each scored 18 points and combined for 11 rebounds. Urzua had four steals, a blocked shot and two assists. Brandie McCann hit four 3-pointers en route to a game-high 23 points and nine rebounds for the Toros.
    Down by 14 in the first half, the Toros pecked away and trailed by seven at the half, 32-25.
    Trailing 43-35 on a jumper by CSUSB's Nikki Boone with 13:28 left in the game, the Toros rallied on a 7-1 run to come within two points at 44-42 on a McCann three with 10:58 left.
    Whitney Gantt drained a three-pointer with 7:24 left to cut the Coyotes lead to one, 49-48, but CSUSB rattled off six straight points for a 55-48 advantage on Urzua's jumper with 5:11 left.
    McCann hit a jumper to pull the Toros within three at 59-56 with 1:40 left and her two free throws with 31 seconds left closed the gap again to three points at 61-58, but after a free throw by CSUSB's Lisa Takata, Meka Nixon (12 points, nine rebounds, three steals) missed on a three-pointer and the Coyotes put the game away at the foul line, hitting four free throws in the final 27 seconds.
    Following Friday's win over Cal State L.A., this victory is the first back-to-back triumphs for CSUSB since early December.
    Neither team shot particularly well. The Coyotes shot 37 percent while the Toros shot 34 percent. The two teams combined for 40 turnovers, 24 by the Toros.
    Gantt scored 10 points off the bench for Dominguez Hills while Ashlee Ford had eight points, four assists and three steals for the Coyotes.
    The victory put the Coyotes in sixth place in the 12-team conference at 5-4 following Saturday's CCAA play. UC San Diego is the leader at 9-0 followed by Cal Poly Pomona at 8-1, Humboldt State at 8-2, Cal State Monterey Bay at 6-3, Chico State at 5-3 and the Coyotes at 5-4.

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