Although the Cal State Stanislaus men's basketball team lost to CCAA tournament-bound Cal State Dominguez Hills 88-79 Thursday night for their 20th loss of the season, it was a different defeat than many of the previous 19.

The Warriors hung tough from the opening tip to the final buzzer, leading as late as 9 minutes, 14 seconds to go in the second half and pulling to within two with 5:06 to play, only to see the game slip away in the final minutes.

Senior Duane Jones knocked down two free throws to bring the Warriors within four at 79-83 with 55 seconds to go, but two key turnovers by senior Heath Colvin and sophomore Calvin Westbrook sealed the Warriors' fate.

Jones led all scorers with 20 points. Jones also had two steals on the night to give him 59 on the season, moving him into fourth on the Cal State Stanislaus single season all-time record list. Colvin chipped in 19 points and Westbrook added 16. Senior Rick Cardoso notched his seventh double-double of the season with 14 points and 11 rebounds.

Free throws were key for the Toros, as they went 5 for 6 from the charity stripe in the final minute and 78.6 percent for the game. Cal State Dominguez Hills had five players score in double figures, led by Nonso Nibo with 19. Jonathan Toliver had 17 points off the bench, Jamaal Barnes and Mike Steed scored 15 points each, and Michael Hernandez contributed 11 points four rebounds and two steals off the bench.

The Warriors fell behind 8-2 in the first three minutes of the game, but climbed back into it and tied the score at 10 at 15:04 in the first half. Back and forth the teams went with the Warriors taking a one-basket lead, only to fall behind again by seven with 9:33 to play in the half. The Toros would close the first half with an 11-6 run and take a 40-35 lead into halftime.

Cal State Dominguez Hills outshot the Warriors 57.7 percent to 45.9 percent and held a slight edge in rebounds, 32-29. With the win, the Toros improve to 16-9 overall and 11-8 in the CCAA.

The 20th loss makes the 2007-2008 season only the third 20-plus loss season for the Warriors in 23 years, dating back to 1985-1986. The Warriors have not lost 21 games since a 5-21 season in 1984-1985.

The Warriors host Cal State L.A., another CCAA championship tournament team, on Friday at 7:30 p.m. to close out the season.