Feb. 3, 2011

Box Score

SAN DIEGO, Calif.- The University of San Diego men's basketball team snapped their seven-game West Coast Conference losing streak Thursday night with a 66-63 win over Loyola Marymount from the Jenny Craig Pavilion. In a game that was neck and neck throughout, the Toreros (5-18, 1-7 WCC) held off the Lions (9-14, 1-7 WCC) literally at the last second to avenge their 67-58 loss to LMU on January 8th in Los Angeles, Calif.

Sophomore center Chris Gabriel led all scorers with a career-high 21 points on the night while adding six rebounds. Gabriel became the third Torero to score at least 20 points in a game this season, as Devin Ginty tallied 20 last week against Gonzaga and Darian Norris posted a 24-point night last time out against Loyola Marymount.

Senior forward Matt Dorr and sophomore forward Ken Rancifer each recorded 12 points on the night and Ginty chipped in with a game-high five assists in the winning effort.

Loyola Marymount was led offensively by Anthony Ireland, who scored 12 points and had three rebounds and three assists. The Lions' leading scorer, Drew Viney, added 10 points and three rebounds as well.

Overall, the Toreros put together a solid shooting night, outshooting the Lions 50.9%-44.7% and outrebounding LMU 33-29. USD also knocked down half of their three-point attempts on the night, going 4-8 from beyond the arc.

Both teams came out with a hot hand as USD connected on 50% of their field goal attempts (11-22), while Loyola Marymount hit 51.9% (14-27) of their field goals in the first half. The teams exchanged leads nine times during the half as USD held the largest lead of the half at six points when Rancifer capped off a brief 5-0 run for the Toreros with a jumper at 10:15 that put USD up 21-15.

The Lions bounced right back, however, answering with five consecutive points of their own to cut the Torero lead to 21-20 with 9:48 remaining. Rancifer kept the edge in USD's favor with a three at the 8:44 mark, putting USD up four. The Toreros' lead hovered around six until Loyola Marymount strung together six unanswered points over the final three minutes of the half to even the score at 33-33 to close out the first half of play.

In the second half Gabriel scored USD's first eight points and helped the Toreros build a 41-37 lead at the 16:04 mark. Loyola Marymount roared back though, as Viney nailed a jumper that set off an 8-0 Lion run, putting LMU up 47-43 with just under 12 minutes remaining.

The lead went back and forth until the Toreros used a pair of free throws from Rancifer, and a jumper and free throw from Gabriel to stretch their lead to 61-56 at the 3:03 mark. That would end up being the biggest lead of the half for either team. The Lions got a three and a pair of free throws from LaRon Armstead to tie the game at 63 with a minute and a half remaining. Gabriel would answer for USD with a jumpshot with 35 seconds left and Rancifer would add to it by converting a free throw to give the Toreros their final 66-63 lead. A desperation heave by Viney sailed wide right as time expired.

"I just thought it was a really gutty win for us," said USD head coach Bill Grier after the game. "Earlier in the year those were games at home that we lost, but I thought tonight they showed some character and toughness. They got down in the second half and fought back and got some stops at the right time and that turned out to be the difference."

The win was the Toreros' first over Loyola Marymount in the last four matchups. USD last beat LMU 62-56 in the first round of the 2009 WCC tournament.

USD looks to build some momentum as they welcome Pepperdine to the Jenny Craig Pavilion on Saturday, February 5th at 6:00 p.m.