SPORTSCOPE / MITCH POLIN : Dominguez Hills Men’s Basketball Team Opens Season on Road

The Cal State Dominguez Hills men’s basketball team will open its season against Central Oklahoma in the first round of the ‘Lopes Invitational at 3 p.m. Friday at Grand Canyon University in Phoenix.

Dominguez Hills, which was 16-12 and third in the California Collegiate Athletic Assn. last season, will play Central Oklahoma, which is ranked No. 2 in NCAA Division II.

Sixth-ranked Grand Canyon plays host to Bridgeport of Connecticut, the Division II runner-up last season, in the other first-round game. The championship game is set for 8 p.m. Saturday.

Central Oklahoma, which finished at 25-7 last season, is led by guard Alex Wright and forward Malcolm Leak. Wright scored 31 points in Central Oklahoma’s 90-71 season-opening win last week over Southwestern Oklahoma State. Leak added 12 points and 13 rebounds.

Dominguez Hills defeated the Australian Junior National team, 72-60, in an exhibition last week. Dominguez Hills was led by guard Raymond Bennett with 18 points and junior center Darnell Patterson with 14 points and 11 rebounds.

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The Loyola Marymount men’s basketball team will play host to the Melbourne Tigers at 7:35 p.m. Saturday in an exhibition game.

The Lions were defeated by the Amateur Athletic Union Lafayette Hustlers, 98-93, in overtime last week. Loyola was led by forward Zan Mason, a transfer from UCLA. He scored 18 points and had seven rebounds.

The Melbourne Tigers are led by forward Andrew Gaze, who played for the 1989 Seton Hall team that was NCAA runner-up.

The Lions will open their regular season against College of Notre Dame at 6 p.m. Tuesday at Gersten Pavilion.

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Two Loyola Marymount women’s volleyball players have been named to the All-West Coast Conference first team and two others were chosen to the conference’s all-freshmen squad.

Middle blocker Dana Bragado and setter Robin Ortgiesen were selected to the all-conference first team, and outside hitter Amy Moeller and middle blocker Julie Greer made the all-freshmen team. Moeller was named WCC freshman of the year.

Bragado, a senior from Hawaii, led the conference with a .379 hitting percentage.

Moeller, the first Loyola player to earn freshman-of-the-year honors, led the Lions with 39 services aces. She was also second in total kills with 308.

Greer ranked second on the team with a .287 kill percentage and 72 blocks.

The Lions (19-12) finished second in the WCC at 10-4. It was their best conference showing since going 10-4 and placing second in 1987.

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Cal State Dominguez Hills, which won its second consecutive California Collegiate Athletic Assn. title, has placed four players on the NCAA Division II All-West Region women’s soccer team.

Senior forward Amy Rubin and senior midfielder Jennifer Grasso were named to the first team, and forward Teresa Bateman and midfielder Jennifer Womack made the second team.

Rubin, who was recently named CCAA player of the year, is the all-time leading scorer for Dominguez Hills. She led the conference with 16 goals and 40 points this past season.

Grasso, a Division II All-America selection in 1991, was fourth on the team in scoring with 19 points.

Bateman, a junior, was second on the team with 11 goals and 27 points and Womack, a junior, was third with 23 points.

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The Loyola Marymount men’s soccer team had two players named to the All-West Coast Conference second team.

Juniors Dannel Christian at forward and Mike Luken at goalkeeper were honored. Christian set a Loyola record with seven goals and 15 points and Luken had a 3.35 goal-against average and led the WCC with 94 saves.

Lion senior defender Jay Bevelhimer was an honorable-mention selection.

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Cal State Dominguez Hills men’s and women’s soccer Coach Marine Cano will direct the Mr. Soccer’s 1992 Holiday Soccer Camp for boys and girls age 5-13 from Dec. 21-23 in Carson.

The cost is $65 for applications postmarked by Dec. 1 and $75 for applications postmarked after that date.

Late registration will be from 8:15 to 8:45 a.m. on the first day of camp.

Information: Marine Cano at (310) 325-9305.

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Registration is under way for an indoor volleyball league for men in Manhattan Beach and Redondo Beach that starts Jan. 5 at Aviation Gym in Manhattan Beach.

The cost is $200 a team and there is a $1 fee for each non-resident of Manhattan Beach or Redondo Beach.

Registration is from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays at Manhattan Beach Recreation Department, 1400 Highland Ave.

The deadline is Dec. 11. Information: Charlie Saikley at (310) 545-5621, Ext. 321.