Feb. 16, 2011

Box Score

SAN DIEGO, Calif.- The University of San Diego men's basketball team stunned the 23rd-ranked Saint Mary's Gaels Wednesday night with a 74-66 upset at the Jenny Craig Pavilion. A red-hot second half of shooting helped the Toreros (6-21, 2-10 WCC) earn their first victory over the Gaels (22-5, 10-2 WCC) since the semifinals of the 2008 West Coast Conference tournament.

The Toreros' well-balanced offensive attack featured four players in double figures, led by sophomore forward Chris Manresa's 17 points and 10 rebounds. Senior guard Matt Dorr also poured in 17, while going 6-8 from the field and 3-4 from three-point range. Junior point guard Darian Norris chipped in with 15 points and a team-high three steals and sophomore center Chris Gabriel helped USD maintain a decisive 18-4 edge in second chance points with his 10 points and six rebounds.

Senior guard Devin Ginty scored only three points but dished out a game-best nine assists in helping steer the Toreros to a 52.1% (25-48) shooting night, which included a 66.7% (16-24) mark in the second half.

Saint Mary's was led by Mitchell Young's 24 points and nine rebounds, while the Gaels' leading scorer, Mickey McConnell, added 21 points and six assists. Matthew Dellavedova had 10 points and five rebounds as well.

The Toreros jumped out to a quick start by scoring the game's first seven points before Young knocked down a jumper for the Gaels at the 17:34 mark. Saint Mary's would rally back to tie it at 10 when McConnell hit a jumpshot at 14:22, which was followed by a jumper from Mitchell that gave the Gaels their first lead of the game at 12-10 at the 13:24 mark.

Saint Mary's took off on an 18-6 run that ended with their biggest lead of the game, a 12-point cushion, with the score at 28-16 with just under five minutes remaining in the first half. USD managed to cut the lead to eight by the end of the half as the Gaels headed into halftime with a 32-24 edge.

McConnell opened up the second half with a three that put Saint Mary's up 35-24, but Dorr answered with a jumpshot that set off a string of nine unanswered Torero points, bringing USD back within two with the score at 35-33 three minutes into the second half. The Toreros then recaptured the lead when Dennis Kramer connected on his lone three-point attempt of the night at the 15:42 mark that put USD up 38-37.

With both sides exchanging baskets for the next three minutes, Dorr connected on one of the Toreros' six second-half threes to give USD a 46-43 lead with 11:00 to play, a lead the Toreros would hold for the remainder of the game.

With the Gaels shooting 41.2% (14-34) in the second half, including 20% (2-10) from beyond the arc, USD was able to extend their lead to a game-high 14 points with just over four minutes remaining with the Toreros up 62-48.

Dellavedova converted both of his free throw opportunities with just over three minutes to play, cutting the Gaels' deficit to nine at 63-54, but the Toreros torrid shooting would prove unstoppable for the Saint Mary's defense as Norris' free throw with 18 seconds left would give the Toreros their final 74-66 lead.

USD connected on 6-7 (85.7%) three-point attempts in the half, while also making 75% (12-16) of their free throw chances in the second half. The Toreros' bench chipped in with 33 points in the game, compared to 12 from the Saint Mary's reserves.

The victory gives USD head coach Bill Grier his fifth win over a team ranked in the top-25 during his tenure at San Diego and his second against Saint Mary's when the Gaels were ranked. The Toreros have defeated seven top-25 teams in program history.

"I really feel like we've been improving the last two weeks, but it just hasn't shown up in the win column," said Grier. "The team has done a good job with all of this through some tough times. We have two senior leaders that have done a great job keeping this group together. As a team we've been tougher with a more physical nature on the glass. Chris Manresa over the last two weeks has also been playing a lot harder, with more assertiveness and more of a purpose. He had a solid game tonight and was a difference maker."

The Toreros return to action when they host Portland on Thursday, Feb. 24th for an 8:00 p.m. contest to be aired on channel 4SD.