SAN DIEGO – Isaiah Pineiro scored a game-high 26 points and
Isaiah Wright added a season-best 20 points to lead San Diego to a 76-58 victory against Jackson State on Saturday night at the Jenny Craig Pavilion.
The duo powered the Toreros (5-1) to their third straight win at home. USD has started the season with a 5-1 record for the second straight year.
While the Toreros finished the game with an 18-point advantage, they had to deal with a resilient Tigers (1-5) team that started hot and made it a one-possession game multiple times in the second half.
Lemmie Howard led Jackson State with 14 points, while Jontrell Walker added 10.
Pineiro and Wright did a little bit of everything for USD. Pineiro was one rebound shy of a double-double with nine, had two assists, two blocks and one steal. Wright led USD with five assists and chipped in four rebounds and a steal.
Yauhen Massalski and
Tyler Williams were strong on the glass. Massalski grabbed five boards – three defensive and two offensive – while Williams pulled down four on the defensive end.
Alex Floresca continued to be one of the Toreros most efficient players, posting seven points on 2-for-4 shooting, and five rebounds in 19 minutes of action. He knocked down his only 3-point attempt and went 2-for-2 from the free throw line.
Jackson State opened the game on fire, connecting on nine of their first 18 shots, including a 3-for-6 clip from behind the 3-point arc. The Tigers held a 22-15 lead early.
The Toreros forced a shot clock violation with 9:08 to play in the first half that changed the momentum in USD's favor. Pineiro scored on the ensuing offensive possession and USD closed the half on a 20-9 run to take a 35-31 lead into halftime.
USD extended its lead to 11 twice in the first 7:30 of the second half and were seemingly pulling away. However, the Tigers reeled off a 10-2 run to make it a one-possession game, 53-50, with 9:32 to play.
Pineiro responded with a pair of free throws but a layup by Jayveous Mckinnis with 8:12 to play made it a three-point game for a second time, 55-52.
That was as close as the Tigers would get as USD closed the game on a 21-6 run to seal the victory.
The Toreros will look to extend their winning streak Wednesday at 4:30 p.m. PT when they travel to Ole Miss. It will be the first meeting between the two programs in program history.
