March 3, 2008

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SAN DIEGO (AP) - Brandon Johnson scored 25 points and Gyno Pomare added 18 to lead San Diego to an 86-65 win over Loyola Marymount on Monday night.

San Diego (18-13, 11-3 West Coast) shot 56.7 percent from the field and used a late scoring run to take a commanding 15-point halftime lead in the final regular-season game for both teams.

The Toreros, who are the No. 3 seed in the upcomng WCC Tournament they will host, used a 17-4 run in the final 4:46 of the first half for a 42-27 halftime lead. Pomare and De'Jon Jackson each scored five points during the run that was capped with Trumaine Johnson's fastbreak lay-up in the final minute.

San Diego maintained their double-digit lead throughout much of the second half. But the Lions cut the lead to 61-57 on freshman Orlando Johnson's 3-pointer with 7:47 left. The Toreros responded by scoring 14 unanswered points over the next 4 1/2 minutes to take control.

Johnson scored 19 points to lead Loyola Marymount (5-25, 2-12 WCC), which finished last in the conference for the fifth time in 12 seasons. The Lions also completed the regular season with fewer than 10 wins for the eighth time in 16 seasons.

Brandon Johnson and Pomare each had nine rebounds for San Diego, which won despite shooting 14-for-26 from the foul line. Johnson also dished out 8 assists. USD's final 11-3 WCC mark is the second best league record for the Toreros in program history, only bettered by the 1987 13-1 club. With a first round bye in the WCC Tourney, the Toreros will play the second quarterfinal game on Saturday against the winner from Friday's Pepperdine-Portland matchup.