Dec. 12, 2009

Final Stats

Boise, Idaho- With the benefit of a Brandon Johnson jumper with 29 seconds remaining in the game and a double-double from Roberto Mafra, the University of San Diego men's basketball team defeated the Boise State Broncos 59-56 on Saturday evening at the Taco Bell Arena, putting an end to the Toreros' five-game losing streak.

USD (5-6) trailed 27-19 to Boise State (5-4) at halftime, but behind Mafra's eight points in the opening four minutes of the second period, the Toreros were able to close the gap and pick up their first win of the season in a "true" road game.

Mafra tied his career-high in points with 14 while setting a new career-high in rebounds with 12. Guard De'Jon Jackson chipped in 14 points, along with three boards and three assists while Johnson scored eight of his nine points in the second half.

After Devin Ginty drained a three-pointer at the 13:48 mark in the second half that placed the Toreros in the lead 36-35, both sides swapped the game's advantage nine times over the course of the remaining minutes.

Boise State led 56-54 with 2:20 remaining in the game, but Jackson and Johnson combined to score USD's final five points to seal the game. Jackson hit both of his free throws with 1:57 left while Johnson added a free throw to go along with his game-winning jumper in the closing seconds.

Both teams shot 40.8% from the field and sunk 13 free throws, but the difference proved to be the three-point shooting of the Toreros, who hit six threes over their 18 chances opposed to Boise State's three in 12 attempts. USD also beat Boise State on the glass, out-rebounding the home team 35-30.

The Toreros will now shift their attention to the Salukis of Southern Illinois when they face the non-conference opponent on Saturday, December 19th at the Holiday Hoops Classic in Las Vegas, NV. Tip-off is set for 4:15 p.m. PT.