Toro Men Try to Improve CCAA Standing

The Cal State Dominguez Hills men’s basketball team will close out the first half of its California Collegiate Athletic Assn. season tonight when it plays host to Chapman at 7:30.

Dominguez Hills (11-8 overall, 3-3 in league play) is in a three-way tie for fourth in the CCAA with Cal Poly San Luis Obispo and Cal State San Bernardino. Chapman is 6-12 and 1-5.

The Toros went 1-1 in conference games last week, defeating San Luis Obispo, 68-64, and losing to Cal State Bakersfield, 50-37.

Dominguez Hills has been led by freshman guard Chris Thompson, who is averaging team-highs of 10.4 points and 2.2 assists. Thompson scored 16 points in the victory over San Luis Obispo. Senior forward Michael Moore is averaging 9.8 points and 3.8 rebounds.

Dominguez Hills and Chapman played in the Grand Canyon tournament in December, with the Toros winning, 66-50.

Chapman forward Roger Middleton, a 6-foot-4 senior, ranks among the conference leaders with averages of 16.5 points and 8.5 rebounds.

The Loyola Marymount women’s basketball team, winless in West Coast Conference play, will travel to Northern California for games today and Saturday.

The Lions (6-11, 0-4) will meet San Francisco at 5:20 p.m. today and St. Mary’s at 5:20 p.m. Saturday.

San Francisco is 11-6 and 3-1 and St. Mary’s 14-3 and 3-1. Both teams are in a four-way tie with Santa Clara and Portland for first place in the WCC.

The Lions lost home games to San Francisco and St. Mary’s last week.

Loyola, which has lost nine of 10 games, was defeated by St. Mary’s, 81-36. It was the worst defeat of the season for the Lions and the fewest points for any WCC team this season.

St. Mary’s, which has defeated the Lions seven times in a row, has won eight of nine games. The Gaels are led by junior guard Fran Fabien, who averages 13.6 points, and senior forward Natalie Rynn, who is averaging a team-high 7.6 rebounds.

San Francisco, which is 7-1 at home, has been led by senior guard Joy Boyenga, who averages a team-leading 15.8 points and has made a conference-best 49.1% of her three-point shots. The Lady Dons also have a solid inside player in senior center Marlene Henderson, who averages 9.1 rebounds.

Senior forward Joelle Longobardi continues to lead the Lions with averages of 14.1 points and 7.2 rebounds. She is fourth in the WCC in rebounding.

The Cal State Dominguez Hills baseball team will open its season Saturday against an alumni team at 1 p.m. in Carson.

The Division II Toros, ranked 18th in a preseason poll by Collegiate Baseball, finished 27-23-1 last year. Dominguez Hills returns a strong pitching staff that includes senior Mark Tranberg, who was 11-3 with a 2.81 earned-run average last season. The top returning hitter is senior outfielder John Ott, who batted .324.

The Cal State Dominguez Hills women’s softball team will open its season Saturday against an alumni team at Carson.

Dominguez Hills, which was 31-17-1 last year, expects to be led by senior pitcher Anne Ibarra, who became the first pitcher to win 20 games in school history last year when she finished 20-12. She had an ERA of 1.01. The Toros also return All-California Collegiate Athletic Assn. third baseman Nicole Stelter, who batted .360.

Physically disabled youths from age 7 to 18 are eligible to participate in a six-week wheelchair tennis class from 3 to 5 p.m. Fridays starting Feb. 28 at El Camino College.

The class, for beginners and advanced players, is sponsored by the National Foundation of Wheelchair Tennis and the Amateur Athletic Foundation of Los Angeles.

Information: Jan Doud at (714) 361-6811.