By Jeremy Gonzalez, Sports Editor
The CSUDH men’s basketball team, led by senior guard Wonder Smith, trounced the Saint Katherine’s Firebirds 85-57 at home on Saturday afternoon, improving their home record to 2-0 on the season.
The Toros won their home opener 68-64 on Thursday Nov. 14 against Fresno Pacific. Their win today brings their overall record back to .500 at 2-2.
Toros forward Nick Kornieck scored the game’s first two points to give the Toros a lead they would never relinquish. Both teams started off trading buckets until the Toros went on a 19-2 run in the first half to give them a 42-25 lead at halftime.
“We played with a lot more discipline,” said Toros head coach Steve Becker. “Guys just started playing harder as we demanded a bit more and I thought our guys did a great job of putting that on the floor.”
The Toros did not slow down in the second half, opening up with a 17-0 run to extend their lead. They used the momentum to propel them to the dominating victory in their second game of a three-game home stand.
Smith and junior guard Colten Kresl reminded everyone why they were voted to All-CCAA teams. Smith led all players in scoring with 16 points and tied for the most assists with six. Kresl added 11 points and also tied for the most assists with six.
Sophomore guard Alex Garcia scored 11 points for the Toros and freshman Brandon Jackson gave the Toros 12 points off the bench. .
Even with the good performance, Becker feels that his team needs to continue to get better in all areas of the game.
“We’re at an early point in the season still,” Becker said. “We have to focus on our growth offensively and defensively. We need to get better in all facets.”
UP NEXT
The final game of the three-game home stand for the Toros will be the conference opener against San Francisco State on Thursday, Nov. 21, with tip-off scheduled for 7:30 p.m.
