Toros control Grizzlies to win Adams State Bankers Classic
Chadron State defeats Colorado College by 21
ALAMOSA, Colo.— Tournament MVP Rodney Yearby and fellow Adams State Bankers Classic All-Tournament team selection Michael Hernandez combined for 24 points as they and a tough team defensive effort led the visiting California State University-Dominguez Hills Toros to a 83-58 win over host Adams State College in the final and unofficial championship game of the tournament, Saturday night in Plachy Hall.
The Toros came up with 11 steals while holding the Grizzlies to just a 32.1 percent (18-56) shooting effort as they improved to 3-0 overall and to 2-0 in the tournament.
The Grizzlies, facing CSUDH for the first time in school history, fell to 2-2 overall and to 1-1 in the weekend classic as junior point guard Adrian Davis (Lubbock, Texas) was the only Grizzly in double figures with 10 points.
Chadron State, which posted a 82-61 win over Colorado College earlier in the afternoon, also went 1-1 in the tournament while the Tigers, the lone NCAA Division III team in the ranks, finished with an 0-2 mark.
The Toros, who hail from the Los Angeles suburb of Carson, controlled the tempo for much of the game as they trailed only once, that coming at 3-2, before a 9-0 run in which Yearby scored the first four of his 11 points, put the visitors up for good, 11-3.
Davis then hit one of his game-best three long distance calls before a Vitor de Zoppa (Sorocaba, Sao Paulo, Brazil) jumper cut the deficit to just 11-8.
The Grizzlies would get within one at 13-12 and were down just three after a pair of Sean Amos (Philadelphia, Pa.) free throws with 8:28 to go in the first half, but then watched a Hernandez layup and old-fashion 3-point play spark a 15-2 Toro run that put the game firmly in CSUDH’s control.
Down 16 at that point and 41-27 at the half, the Grizzlies were never able to get much going in the second half as another 13-7 run that featured a Yearby trey and two by Shaun Engle put the Toros up by 20 (54-34) with 14:51 left. The game was never really close again as the Toro lead fluctuated between 14 and 25 points the rest of the way.
Hernandez, who came of the bench, led all scorers with 13 points on a 5-for-8 shooting effort. Yearby scored 11 points and had five rebounds while Marvin Bettis chipped in a fairly quiet 12 points.
The Toros shot 49.1 percent (28-57) from the field throughout the night and were a respectable 5-for-12 (41.7 percent) from 3-point land. They also committed just 11 turnovers and dominated the inside game, outscoring the Grizzlies 42-22 in the paint.
CSUDH coach Damaine Powell used 13 different players, all of whom scored, in the victory. None of the Toros saw more than 21 minutes of action as Powell used frequent substitutions to control the tempo while countering the effects of the elevation (7,544 feet).
Sophomore forward Seth Heinbaugh (Prescott, Ariz.) and junior Erick Seaman (Colorado Springs, Colo.), who played his junior college ball in California at DeAnza College, were the Grizzlies’ selections to the all-tournament team. Heinbaugh had seven points and six assists in Saturday’s setback but had 15 points and nine boards in Friday night’s 85-72 win over Colorado College. Seaman, who had an 11-point, 11-rebound double-double in the victory over the Tigers, finished Saturday’s game with six points and five rebounds, three of which came on the offensive end.
In the earlier game, Chadron never trailed as they built a double-figure lead over College College, just 7:19 into the game. They led by 21 at the break and by the same margin at the final buzzer.
Tyler Coffman launched the Eagles’ flight with 12 points while Moala Tautuaa pitched in another 11 to go along with eight rebounds. Tim McLaurin finished with seven points, six rebounds and four assists to earn a spot on the all-tournament team after going off for a game and tournament-high 32 points in a 79-75 setback to the Toros on Friday afternoon.
CC’s Lance Jacobs, also named to the all-tournament, team paced the Tigers with 16 points and eight rebounds.
The Grizzlies are now off for Thanksgiving and 12 total days before returning to the floor on Thursday, Dec. 4 at No. 19 Tarleton State, currently 4-0 on the young season.
That game in Stephenville, Texas will tip-off at 8 p.m. (CST) and can be heard live on KSPK-FM (104.1 in Alamosa) and via the internet at www.kspk.com.
All-Tournament Team
Tournament MVP- Rodney Yearby-Cal State Dominguez Hills
Seth Heinbaugh - Adams State
Michael Hernandez - Cal State-Dominguez Hills
Lance Jacobs - Colorado College
Tim McLaurin - Chadron State
Erick Seaman - Adams State
Related Item: Chadron State/Colorado College Game Statistics
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Related Item: Final Tournament Statistics
Related Item: Adams State Bankers Classic Website
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