TURLOCK - It was a career night for several members of the Cal State Stanislaus men's basketball team as the Warriors rolled to a 81-61 victory over Dominican University of California for their first win of the season.
Senior point guard Duane Jones had a career-high seven assists and senior forward Rick Cardoso tied a career high with 18 points. Senior Heath Colvin led all scorers with 21 points on an 8-11 night of shooting.
The Warriors started the game off with a bang, as Colvin hit a 3-pointer just seven seconds into the game. Sophomore guard Calvin Westbrook followed with a trey of his own on the next possession to give the Warriors a 6-2 lead and set the tone for the game.
"We have some nice wings," said Warrior head coach Keith Larsen. "Calvin and Heath are good and Duane Jones is a great point guard."
Momentum carried the Warriors to a 19-10 lead midway through the first half, but the steam let out and the combination of missed shots and turnovers allowed Dominican to climb right back in it, going on an 8-0 run with the help of three steals and three missed shots by the Warriors.
The Penguins would take a 24-22 lead with eight minutes left to play before halftime, but the Warriors closed the half with a 7-0 run to take a 42-36 lead into the locker room.
Colvin came out hot in the second half and scored seven straight points to put the Warriors up 46-38, a lead they would never look back from. a 15-3 run midway through the second half made the core 70-54 and sealed the win for the Warirors.
"We've played well all year," Larsen said. "We haven't had a bad game all year. I was really happy with the way they came out. I challenged them a little at halftime."
The win puts the Warriors at 1-2 overall on the season. They are now 8-1 in home openers since 1999. It was the fifth-straight County Bank Classic victory, and the 12th in the last 13 County Bank Classic games.
The men will go against Western New Mexico University at 7:30 p.m. Saturday for the final game of the County Bank Classic. WNMU defeated Azusa Pacific in the early game Friday. The Mustangs overcame a 10-point deficit with a 16-2 run in the second half to tak the lead and win 78-74.
