Feb. 24, 2011
Box Score
SAN DIEGO, Calif.- The University of San Diego men's basketball team lost to Portland 65-61 in West Coast Conference action on Thursday night from the Jenny Craig Pavilion. The Toreros (6-22, 2-11 WCC) held a five-point halftime lead, but the Pilots (20-9, 7-6 WCC) were able to pull ahead with the help of some hot shooting in the second half.
The Toreros had three players score 11 points apiece, as Matt Dorr, Devin Ginty, and Darian Norris posted identical point totals on the night. Dorr added a game-high six assists, while Norris led the team with three steals. Sophomore forward Chris Manresa pitched in with 10 points and a team-best seven rebounds.
Portland was led by Jared Stohl's game-high 18 points, while Luke Sikma nearly posted a double-double with eight points and a game-best 10 rebounds. Tim Douglas and Nemanja Mitrovic scored nine points apiece.
USD outshot the Pilots 44.4% (20-45) to 41.5% (22-53), but Portland took advantage of 13 Torero turnovers to hold an 18-7 edge in points off turnovers. The Pilots were able to bounce back from a 29.2% (7-24) mark from the field in the first half, to shoot 51.7% (15-29) in the second.
Chris Gabriel and Dorr knocked down back-to-back jumpers to get the Toreros out ahead 4-0 early on. USD stretched their lead to 15-8 with just over 10 minutes in the half, but an 8-1 Portland run allowed the Pilots to tie the game at 16-16 at the 7:39 mark.
Norris helped the Toreros hold off the Pilot momentum by knocking down his lone three-pointer of the night to put USD up 19-16 with 5:56 to play. The Pilots would come back to tie it at 24-24 when Stohl converted a pair of free throws, but the Toreros would go on to score the final five points of the half unanswered to close out the half up 29-25.
Portland grabbed the momentum out of the gate in the second half, going on a 10-0 run capped by a Douglas three at 17:04 that gave the Pilots the 34-29 advantage. USD battled back to recapture the lead when Ginty nailed his first three, putting the Toreros up 47-46 with 9:39 remaining in the contest.
When Dorr connected on a jumper at 5:57 the Toreros took a 54-50 lead, but that would prove to be the biggest edge they would have for the remainder of the game as Portland went on to tie it at 56-56 with 3:19 to play and then proceeded to score six points in a row.
Ginty knocked down his second three of the night, followed by two made free throws to cut the Pilots' lead to one at 62-61 with 24 seconds on the clock. However, Mitrovic and Stohl would convert three of their four free throw opportunities in the waning seconds to sink the Toreros.
The Toreros host the Gonzaga Bulldogs in the regular season finale on Saturday, Feb. 26th at 6:00 p.m.
