The Cal State Dominguez Hills men’s and women’s basketball teams proved they are one of the best Division II programs in the nation with their deep run in the NCAA tournament.
For the first time in Dominguez Hills history, the men’s and women’s basketball teams reached the Final Four and National Championship games.
“I genuinely love these kids, I love everything that they’ve done for our program,” Toros women’s basketball head coach John Bonner said about his team. “They’ve done an incredible job of representing what Cal State Dominguez Hills is all about, to come out here and represent the West Region has been incredible.”
Their appearance in the NCAA championship marked the third time in Division II history that the men’s and women’s teams of the same university reached the title game in the same year.
“I love my guys so much. God has His hand all over this season for us and I’m just so thankful that they get to experience what they got,” said Toros men’s basketball head coach Steve Becker. “These guys have done this the right way. They’ve stayed loyal, they’ve been committed to each other.”
Dominguez Hills is the first school in the CCAA to have both of their basketball programs win the CCAA in-season title, tournament title and the West Regional title in the same season.
While both teams imposed their dominance throughout this season, the Toros displayed their deep bonds with their teammates.
The Toros women’s basketball team finished their season with a 35-2 overall record. Junior guard Nala Williams led the team in scoring with 17.0 points per game. She led the nation in steals, making 152 total steals this season. Her 4.0 steals per game ranked her second in the nation.
Williams is also seventh in Division II in field goals with 249 made. She was recently named the WBCA Player of the Year.
“I do feel extremely honored and blessed to have received that award,” Williams said. “I love playing with this group of girls and having the coaching staff that I have.”
The men’s basketball team had a 30-6 overall record; this marks the first time the program won 30 games in one season. Junior guard Jeremy Dent-Smith led the team with 19.0 points per game. His 685 total points makes him 14th in the nation at that category.
During their Semifinal 94-83 win over Dallas Baptist University, Dent-Smith scored a career high of 33 points, matching the highest single game score by any player of the 2024-2025 NCAA Division II tournament. He had the ninth 30-point performance in the tournament.
Senior forward Asia Jordan led the Toros women with 6.6 rebounds per game. In eight different outings, she secured at least 10 boards.
For the men, senior forward Adam Afifi led the boards with 7.1 rebounds per game. He had a season-high of 15 rebounds during their 88-77 win over Seattle Pacific in November.
“The culture of this group from where we started years ago with the same guys who decided to stay loyal to Dominguez Hills and create a family,” said grad student guard David Cheatom. “We’re truly brothers, it’s good to see where we come from and we really built it up.”
The Toro women fell to Grand Valley State University 58-70 and the Toro men lost to Nova Southeastern 73-74 in their respective championship games. However, Dominguez Hills made key highlights throughout their NCAA tournament run. In the Sweet 16, the Toro women defeated Central Washington by a 23-point margin.
Freshman forward Cristina Jones evolved during the season to become a key contributor to the offense. She scored a season-high 25 points during their first-round victory against Azusa Pacific.
The Toro men battled from a 19-point deficit in their Final Four, overtime 94-83 victory against Dallas Baptist University. They also overcame a 12-point deficit in the Elite Eight against West Liberty.
In their Final Four contest, senior guard Alex Garcia hit a three-pointer with two seconds left, forcing overtime. Dominguez Hills outscored Dallas Baptist 18-7 in extra minutes.
The Toro women now hold the CCAA record for most wins in a season. Both Dent-Smith and Cheatom were named on the NCAA all-tournament team.
