Cal State Dominguez Hills lost the Division II men’s basketball championship game Saturday, narrowly falling to heavily favored Nova Southeastern of Davie, Florida, 74-73, in Evansville, Indiana.
It was the end of a spirited Cinderella run for the No. 14-ranked Toros, who made the title game as a No. 7 seed. They finished with a record of 30-6.
Cal State Dominguez Hills came out strong and led the top-seeded Sharks, 42-38, at halftime before a tense, back-and-forth second half. Junior guard Jeremy Dent-Smith led the Toros with 27 points.
Senior guard David Cheatom made a fall-away 15-footer with a little over 20 seconds left to give the Toros a 73-72 lead, but Sharks guard MJ Iraldi was fouled on a drive with 17.8 seconds left and made both free throws for the final margin.
The Toros did not call time out after the free throws and Cheatom missed a tough driving layup with 2 seconds left. Both teams fought for the rebound as time expired.
Iraldi led Nova Southeastern with 27 points.
The Sharks, ranked No. 2 in the nation entering the game, also won the Division II championship in 2023, and lost in the title game last year. They finished this season with a record of 36-1.
The Toros earned a spot in the title game with a dramatic comeback against No. 3-seed Dallas Baptist on Thursday, erasing a 19-point deficit to force overtime and win by a final score of 94-83. They were led by Dent-Smith’s 33 points. Senior guard Alex Garcia nailed a three-pointer with 2 seconds left in regulation to tie the score and force overtime.
The Toros were the first California team to reach the Division II men’s title game since 2010, when Cal Poly Pomona won the championship.
It was a historic year for Cal State Dominguez Hills, which saw both its men’s and women’s basketball teams reach the Division II championship game. The women’s team lost to Grand Valley State, 70-58, on Friday night in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The finished 36-2.