Junior guard Desiree Harding drives by Humboldt State defender on Jan. 27.
Photo by Beatriz Arreola
By Francisco Padilla
Staff Writer
With just six games left in the season, CSUDH’s men’s basketball team stands at a 10-14 overall record with a 7-10 record in conference play. The Toros were 8-9 and had a solid chance of finishing above .500 for the second year in a row, before going on a five-game losing streak that brought them down to an 8-14 record.
After solid performances against Humboldt State University Jan. 27 and Cal State LA Feb. 3, which got the Toros back in the winning column, the team looks forward to finishing the season strong.
However, injuries have not been kind to the Toros this season. Senior guard Khalil Bedart-Ghani fractured his ankle during the first game of the season and then re-injured his other ankle, which forced him to see limited playing time.
“He’s one of our better defenders, so guys just have to step up on the defensive side of the ball and also try to make up for the things he did for us,” said Coach Steve Becker.
Senior guard Jonathan Nichols has led the way for the Toros this season, leading in almost every statistical category. He is first in minutes played, points scored and steals, second in rebounds, and has started in 21 out of 22 possible games.
Freshman forward Malcom Johnson has made an immediate impact, averaging 12.1 points by shooting over 50% from the field and bringing in 8.9 rebounds.
The Toros are currently in ninth place in the conference and must finish in the top eight to attend the California College Athletics Association Championships, which begins Feb. 28.
“We play in the best D2 conference in the country, so for us it’s just playing good basketball right now, we just need to make a push,” said Becker.
The Toros play four of their last five games on the road, which will include a Bay Area road trip where they play Cal State Monterey Bay Feb. 9 and Cal State East Bay on Feb. 10.
Their final home game is senior night, Saturday, Feb. 17, where they host Stanislaus State at 7:30 p.m.
After a disappointing 7-20 record last season, the CSUDH Women’s Basketball team is currently at a 10-12 record with an 8-9 record in conference play. The Toros are currently in seventh place in the California College Athletics Association standings and could well be on their way to participating in the CCAA Championships.
The Toros have already improved by three wins this season with five games left to play and are looking forward to finishing above .500 for the fourth time in five years.
The rapid improvement may come as a shock, as the Toros lost all five of their starters from last season and have had to implement a completely new and revamped starting lineup this season.
The team consists of 10 new players, of these players, three are high school recruits, four are junior college transfers, and the last three are transfers from different universities.
A reason for the substantial improvement this season is junior guard/forward Nautica Morrow, who transferred from Cal State University Northridge and has been a bright spot for the Toros this season. Morrow leads the team in points, assists, minutes played and has started in all possible 21 games for the Toros.
