On an amazing night for CSUDH basketball, both of the Toro squads reached the Elite Eight of the Division II NCAA Championships. The teams now get a week to prepare for their next opponents—and to make a final push for unprecedented twin national championships.
In Carson, the top-seeded women’s team used a stifling defense to shut down sixth-seed Central Washington from the opening tip. Paced by senior Asia Jordan and CCAA Player of the Year Nala Williams, the Toros jumped out to a 20-8 lead after the first quarter and never looked back.
They tightened their grip on the game in the second quarter and led 48-20 at halftime. The Toros’ full-court press continued to baffle Central Washington in the second half, and the Wildcats were never able to mount a comeback. CSUDH coasted to a 70-47 victory that clinched their spot in the Elite Eight.
The win extends the women’s incredible season one more week and puts them three wins away from the program’s first national championship. The 34-1 Toros have now won the CCAA regular season and tournament titles, as well as the West Regional championship. Head coach John Bonner has now guided the Toros to their second Elite Eight in three seasons.
Jordan was rewarded for her outstanding play by being named West Regional Tournament MVP. Nala Williams and Cristina Jones joined her on the West Regional All-Tournament Team.
Next week, the women will head to the campus of Duquesne University in Pittsburgh, Penn., where they’ll begin the Elite Eight as the third seed. The Toros will play sixth-seeded Coker University from South Carolina in their first game on Monday, March 24 at noon. The game will be televised and streaming on ESPN+.
Meanwhile, down in San Diego, the CSUDH men’s team won a nail-biter against top-seeded Point Loma University to advance to the first Elite Eight in program history.
Paced by forward Adam Afifi’s 23 points and 13 rebounds, the Toros used their size and high-pressure defense to build an early lead. Despite a late run by Point Loma, CSUDH led by six points going into halftime.
Point Loma buckled down in the second half, closing the gap and actually taking the lead with under five minutes left in the game. Down the stretch, though, defense and some clutch free throw shooting helped the Toros scratch out a 61-58 victory. As the final buzzer sounded, Toro players swarmed the court ecstatically, having done something that no CSUDH men’s team had ever accomplished before.
Afifi was named the West Regional Tournament MVP, while Jeremy Dent-Smith and David Cheatom joined him on the All-Tournament Team.
The Toros will travel to Evansville, Ind., next week for their first-ever Elite Eight game. They enter as the seventh seed and will take on second-seeded West Liberty on Tuesday, March 25, at 12:30 PM PST.
