SAN DIEGO – Isaiah Pineiro scored a game-high 28 points to lead San Diego to a dominating 76-57 victory at UC Davis on Friday night.
Pineiro led the Toreros (2-0) in scoring for the second straight game after scoring 25 points against Weber State earlier this week and was one point shy of his career high. He finished 11-of-19 from the field, 2-of-5 from 3-point range and also registered eight rebounds and six assists.
It was an impressive offensive night overall for USD, which shot 50 percent from the field and held a lead for 37 minutes throughout the game.
Olin Carter III went shot-for-shot with Pineiro during the first half and early in the second half, finishing with 16 points on 7-of-13 shooting.
Isaiah Wright also hit double-digits with 10 points while
Tyler Williams and
Yauhen Massalski chipped in eight apiece.
The Toreros shared the ball well, racking up 18 assists as a team.
The Toreros defense held the Aggies (0-2) to 38 percent shooting, including a 3-of-23 clip from 3-point range. TJ Shorts II led UCD with 17 points, followed by Joe Mooney with 13. USD prevented any potential comeback effort by limiting the Aggies to one field goal on their final seven shots.
The Toreros started the game hot. UCD scored the game's opening basket but USD proceeded to reel off a 14-2 run to jump out to an early lead, 14-4.
Joey Calcaterra capped the run with the Toreros first 3-pointer of the night.
The Aggies got back into the game by getting to the free-throw line and knocking down a pair of 3-pointers. UCD retook the lead 26-25 when Mooney stole the ball and finished an uncontested layup with 6:46 to play in the first half.
The Toreros responded on the ensuing possession when Carter III hit a jumper that sparked an 8-2 run to put USD back in front, 34-28. Wright capped the rally with a layup with 1:50 to play in the half.
A UCD layup at the buzzer cut the Toreros lead to 37-32 going into halftime.
The Toreros picked up where they left off and opened the second half on a 7-2 run over three minutes to take a 10-point lead, 44-34.
Pineiro bodied his way through traffic to convert a tip-in at the rim and draw a foul to put the Toreros up by 11 with 10:36 to play. USD led by double-digits the rest of the way.
USD will look to continue its momentum and remain unbeaten as it continues north for a Monday night matchup at Washington at 8 p.m. PT.
