Nov. 28, 2012

USDvsSFA

GAME #8: The USD Toreros (3-4) continue their 4-game road swing with a game at Stephen F. Austin (4-0) this Saturday, December 1st, in Nacogdoches, Texas. Game time is 4:00 p.m. (PST) at the William R. Johnson Coliseum (7,203 capacity).

SERIES RECORD: This will be the fourth game played between USD and SFA with the host Lumberjacks owning a 2-1 series lead. The Toreros won the last meeting to snap a 2-game Jack win streak, coming out on top 66-61 (Nov. 14, 2011). That contest was USD's season opener and collegiate debut for guard Johnny Dee who paced the Toreros with 22 points. Chris Manresa added a double-double with 12 points and 11 rebounds. USD rallied from a 59-52 deficit with 6:37 to go to close out the game with a 13-2 run.

RADIO: All USD home and away games will be broadcast live on XX 1090 AM or ESPN 1700 AM with Andy Masur (6th season) bringing you all the action; his pre-game show will air 15 minutes prior to tip-off. A audio feed is also available for free of charge at www.usdtoreros.com. Saturday's game airs on XX 1090 AM.

A LOOK AHEAD: The Toreros close out their 4-game road swing with a Dec. 4th contest against the Southern Utah University Thunderbirds (6:00 p.m. PST). USD's next home game is Dec. 8th vs. Tulane (6pm; Fox Sports San Diego telecast).

WCC STANDINGS (as of Nov. 28th): Gonzaga (6-0), Santa Clara (5-0), San Francisco (3-1), BYU (4-2), Saint Mary's (4-2), Pepperdine (3-2), Loyola Marymount (3-3), Portland (3-3), San Diego (3-4).

COACH GRIER (6TH YEAR): Coach Bill Grier (Oregon, 1990) is in his sixth season at the helm of the USD program... He enters the Stephen F. Austin contest with a 3-4 mark and 71-97 career record... Last season's squad finished 13-18, but won 4 of its final 6 regular-season WCC games and then advanced to the quarterfinals of the WCC Basketball Championships before falling to BYU by just 5 points... The 2010-11 season was highlighted by the team's 74-66 home win over #23 Saint Mary's, along with a 67-64 win over Utah on Christmas... The 2009-10 season was highlighted by wins over Stanford, #25 Oklahoma, Houston and Boise State... His second campaign with USD (16-16 mark in 2008-09) was highlighted by road wins over Oregon and Mississippi State... In his rookie year (2007-08) he guided the Toreros to an overall mark of 22-14 and 3rd place finish in the WCC race at 11-3... He guided the Toreros to three wins and the championship title at the WCC Tournament (hosted by USD) with wins over Pepperdine, Saint Mary's and No. 20 Gonzaga... The Toreros then upset No. 15 UCONN in the NCAA Tournament opener with a 70-69 overtime victory, before falling to Western Kentucky in the second round... His 22 wins in 2007-08 were also the most by a Torero coach in his first season at USD. In addition to knocking off Kentucky on the road, 81-72, the Toreros earned three wins over Top-25 teams: #21 Saint Mary's, #20 Gonzaga and #15 Connecticut... Bill and his wife, Nicole, have two daughters, Giselle & Ashley.

TORERO TIDBITS: After starting the season with 5 straight home games, the Toreros will play the third of four straight away games when they face Stephen F. Austin on Saturday... The Toreros have dropped their first two away games this season to UC Santa Barbara (57-39) and Montana (67-66)... Last season the Toreros were 4-7 in "true" away games, and including neutral site contests, were 7-10 away from the JCP... Johnny Dee scored a team-high 22 points in loss at Montana; it was his 10th career game with 22 or more points... He ranks 9th among all WCC scorers... Point guard Christopher Anderson has led the Toreros in assists in 6 of 7 games with a season-best 8 dishes against CSUN... His 7 steals against Tulsa tied USD's single game mark... He ranks 2nd among WCC players in assists and 3rd in steals... Over the past five games the Toreros have been paced by Dee in scoring (18.0 ppg), with Anderson next at 9.3 ppg and 5.0 assists.

QUICK GLANCE AT THE SFA JACKS: Stephen F. Austin, at 4-0, is off to its best start since the 2003-04 campaign... In their last outing on the road at Tulsa, they dealt the Golden Hurricane a 57-41 loss... Tulsa defeated USD back on Nov. 16th in the NUCDF Basketball Challenge at the Jenny Craig Pavilion, 63-51... The Jacks, who are members of the Southland Conference, are coached by Danny Kasper (442-189; 21st season)... Through four games the team's success has been spearheaded by superior defense, limiting opponents to 42.5 points per game... Offensively the Jacks are averaging 72.0 ppg for an impressive 29.5 point scoring margin... Senior forward Taylor Smith is the lone Jack averaging in double figures (14.5 ppg).

TOREROS LOSE HEARTBREAKER AT MONTANA, 67-66: San Diego went into Missoula, Montana and played their hearts out, only to have their hearts broken on a Kevin Henderson three-pointer with 2.6 seconds left in the one-point loss.. Johnny Dee paced the Toreros in scoring with 22 points... Dee missed the second of two free throws with 9 seconds left and the Grizz were able to push the ball up the floor and kick it out to an open Henderson in the right corner... Montana forward Mathias Ward scored a game-high 23 points... Following a four-point play by Dee with 5:04 to go (made three-pointer plus free throw) that gave the Toreros a 65-58 lead, USD managed to score only 1 point the rest of the way.

VISIT USDTOREROS.COM: For all the up-to-date information on the USD men's basketball team, visit www.usdtoreros.com.