Nov. 26, 2003

San Diego goes to Las Vegas to compete in the Lady Rebel Shootout hosted by UNLV after a convincing 96-74 win over Nevada-Reno at home last Saturday. The Toreros went on a 19-6 run to open the second half against Nevada to run away with a game that was closely contested throughout the first twenty minutes. Saturday's home opener for San Diego gave Torero fans their first look at its 2003-04 team that played inspired basketball, displaying a nice mix of senior leadership and young talent.

In San Diego's season opener the Toreros traveled to Santa Barbara on November 15th to play then-18th ranked UCSB in the WNIT's first round and were handed a 82-44 loss. San Diego's 44-point effort was countered by the Toreros shooting 64% as a team during its drubbing of the Wolfpack last week. USD senior center Marta Menuez (Bodega, CA) was the catalyst, totaling 23 points connecting on 9-of-13 shots from the floor. In all, five Toreros totaled double figures in scoring Saturday and USD's 96 points was the most scored by a San Diego team since putting up 97 in a rout of UC Riverside during the 2000-01 campaign.

The Toreros are under the direction of two-time WCC Coach of the Year Kathy Marpe, who ranks fourth all-time among league coaches with 111 conference victories. Marpe and her staff have brought in a host of talented young players the past two seasons, highlighted by current sophomore starters Tiara Harris (Colorado Springs, CO), Polly Dong (Auburn, CA) and Jamie Corwin (Renton, WA), along with young reserves, freshman Ashley Voisinet (Irvine, CA) and sophomore Lindsay Helvey (Anaheim, CA).

The young players complement San Diego's senior star Menuez, who has established herself as one of the best low-post players in the West Coast Conference. As a junior last season, her scoring and rebounding numbers ranked among the league's best. Menuez cleared 83 offensive boards last season, third-highest among all WCC players.