Point Loma Nazarene vs. Cal State Dominguez Hills
What: NCAA Division II West Regional final
When: 7 p.m. Monday
Where: Golden Gymnasium
Streaming: Pacwestnetwork.tv
Records: PLNU is 29-5; CS Dominguez Hills is 27-5.
Matchup history: The teams have not met this season.
Sea Lions update: Point Loma Nazarene students are back from spring break and in classes Monday morning, so Golden Gymnasium should be packed and loud for the hosts. The Sea Lions have won nine straight games, including two wins to capture the PacWest Conference Tournament title and comfortable opening NCAA Tournament wins over Seattle Pacific on Friday night and Cal State San Bernardino on Saturday night. They are in the Sweet 16 for the third time in program history and seeking a trip to the national quarterfinals for the first time since 2019, when All-American Daulton Hommes led them to the national title game. In his second season as head coach and third with the program, Justin Downer was named PacWest Coach of the Year, while senior guard Zack Paulsen and senior forward Luke Haupt (St. Augustine High School) were named first-team all-conference as well as first-team All-West Region. PLNU entered the tournament as the No.1 seed in the West Region, ranked No. 8 in the final D2CSC Media Poll and No.12 in the final NABC coaches poll. Stingy defense and balanced scoring have been keys for the Sea Lions all season. Paulsen leads the way with 17.3 points per game while shooting 41.2% from 3-point range, while the 6-foot-7 Haupt averages 13.4 points, a team-high 5.9 rebounds and a team-high 3.3 assists per game while often defending opponents’ best post players. Paulsen’s younger brother, Tyce, averages 10.5 points per game. Downer has mostly gone with a seven-player rotation but has good options with depth players like forward Luke Smith and wing Andrew Hommes, Daulton’s younger brother. Sophomore guard Jaden Matingou (St. Augustine) has emerged as a scoring and playmaking threat while senior guard Coby Barnes is a steady two-way player who at 6-4 often defends much bigger players in the post.
Toros update: No. 2 seed CSUDH has won six straight games, captured the California Collegiate Athletic Association regular-season and tournament titles and advanced to Monday’s regional final with wins over Northwest Nazarene (66-59) and Central Washington (77-65). Junior guard Jeremy Dent-Smith leads the way with 18.6 points per game and had 17 in Saturday’s win while senior guard David Chetom finished with 20 points and 10 rebounds in his best effort of the season.
— IVAN CARTER
