San Diego (12-6, 1-2 WCC)
Portland (7-11, 0-3 WCC)
Chiles Center • Portland, Ore. • 7 p.m. PT
Live Stream • TheW.tv |
Radio • Mighty 1090AM |
Live Statistics • USDToreros.com
Social • Twitter.com/USDMBB • Instagram.com/USDMBB
SAN DIEGO – San Diego will look to get back on track when it heads to Portland on Thursday at 7 p.m. PT.
The Toreros (12-6, 1-2 WCC) suffered their first home loss of the season in their most recent outing, falling to Pepperdine 76-71 this past Saturday. The Pilots (7-11, 0-3 WCC) are searching for their first conference win of the season and dropped a pair of games at BYU and against Pacific last week.
The game will be live streamed on TheW.tv and Jack Cronin will have the radio broadcast on Mighty 1090AM. Live statistics will be available via USDToreros.com.
LAST TIME OUT
• San Diego led Pepperdine with 3:16 remaining but could not hold on down the stretch, falling to the Waves 76-71 on Saturday afternoon at the Jenny Craig Pavilion.
• The Toreros (12-6, 1-2 WCC) trailed by four at halftime and as many as eight early in the second half but erased the deficit with 9:24 to play in the game.
• USD took its first lead of the second half on a layup by
Isaiah Pineiro with 8:07 on the clock. However, the Toreros would convert just two more shots from the field the remainder of the game. Pineiro's basket was the first of four lead changes in the final nine minutes.
• The Toreros led as late as 3:16 when Colbey Ross knocked down a pair of free throws to tie the score, 63-63. Ross converted a layup on Pepperdine's next offensive possession to give the Waves a lead they would not relinquish the remainder of the game. Pepperdine went 10-of-10 from the free throw line in the final 3:16 to seal the 76-71 decision.
• It is the first home loss for the Toreros (12-6, 1-2 WCC) which entered the game with a 9-0 mark.
• Already playing without starting point guard,
Isaiah Wright, the Toreros had to battle through additional injuries with
Alex Floresca leaving the game in the first half and
Olin Carter III missing the final 10:27. Playing without Carter III was particularly tough as he was heating up in the second half, scoring eight of his 12 points on 4-of-6 shooting.
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Isaiah Pineiro led the Toreros with 19 points on 8-of-13 shooting from the field. He also chipped in five rebounds.
Tyler Williams and
Finn Sullivan also hit double-digits in scoring with 11 and 10 points, respectively.
•
Yauhen Massalski led the Toreros with seven rebounds, while
Joey Calcaterra dished out a career-best six assists.
ALL-TIME SERIES VS. PORTLAND
• USD is 52-31 all-time against the Pilots and are 2-2 in the past four meetings. Portland won the most recent meeting 55-49 on Jan. 18, 2018, in San Diego.
PINEIRO AND CARTER III LEAD THE WAY
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Isaiah Pineiro has led the Toreros in scoring in 10-of-18 games and
Olin Carter III has led USD in six games.
• Pineiro is averaging 20.0 points and 8.7 rebounds per game. He is also averaging 2.1 assists and 1.3 steals per game. Pineiro is shooting 52 percent from the field and 35 percent from 3-point range.
• Pineiro registered double-doubles in three consecutive games (vs. Grand Canyon, at Santa Clara, vs. Pacific) from Jan. 3-12. He averaged 17.7 points and 13.0 rebounds per game during that span.
• Carter III is averaging 16.5 points per game and is shooting 47 percent from the field. He has been one of USD's most dangerous shooter from behind the arc, connecting on 34 percent of his 3-point attempts. Carter III is also contributing 2.8 rebounds and 2.2 assists per game.
• Carter III left the game against Pepperdine (Jan. 12) midway through the second half due to an abdomen injury. His playing status is day-to-day.
WRIGHT RETURNS
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Isaiah Wright is expected to return to the lineup this week after missing the past four games due to a wrist injury sustained during Toreros game against Drake (Dec. 23).
• Wright started the season well but began gaining steam before his injury. During a nine-game stretch from Nov.24-Dec. 23, he was shooting 46 percent from the field, 35 percent from 3-point range, and averaging 15.4 points, 5.2 assists, 3.7 rebounds and 1.4 steals.
• Wright was contributing 13.2 points, 5.0 assists, 3.9 rebounds and 1.3 steals per game on the season.
NUMBERS UP FOR MASSALSKI
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Yauhen Massalski increased nearly every offensive and defensive numbers through the first six games this season. He was averaging 8.2 points, 8.2 rebounds, 1.8 assists, 1.5 blocks and is shooting 70 percent from the field. (2017-18 » 4.2 ppg, 3.6 rpg, 1.3 bpg, 65 FG pct.)
• Massalski was limited to three minutes of playing time in the Toreros seventh game of the season at Ole Miss due to injury. He returned to action Dec. 12 at Oregon when he came off the bench and played 16 minutes.
• Massalski delivered his strongest game since the injury against Pacific on Jan. 5. with 11 points, nine rebounds and a career-high seven blocks. He is second among all WCC players in field-goal percentage at 65 percent.
BALANCED PLAY BY WILLIAMS
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Tyler Williams does a little of everything for the Toreros on both sides of the floor. He is averaging 9.6 points, 4.8 rebounds and 3.4 assists. He holds a 2.6 assists to turnover ratio. He is shooting a team-best 42 percent from 3-point range.
EFFICIENCY IS KEY FOR FLORESCA
• Through the first six games of the season,
Alex Floresca was one of the Toreros most efficient players. He was averaging 6.2 points and 3.3 rebounds in 16.0 minutes per game. He shot 71 percent (15-of-21) from the field and was 3-of-5 (60 percent) from behind the arc.
• His minutes significantly increased with the injury to Massalski. On the season, Floresca is averaging 6.1 points, 3.4 rebounds and 1.7 assists per game in 21.4 minutes.
• Floresca left the game against Pepperdine early due to a minor ankle injury but is expected to play in both games this week.
FINISHING STRONG
• USD has outscored opponents 738-655 during the second half this season. The Toreros are shooting 51 percent from the field and 42 percent from 3-point range during second halves this season. They are holding opponents to 45 percent from the field and 34 percent from behind the arc.
• In the final five minutes of games, USD is shooting 49 percent from the field and 35 percent from 3-point range. They are holding opponents to 43 percent from the field and 31 percent from 3-point range.
Isaiah Wright is shooting 68 percent overall down the stretch and 57 percent from behind the arc, while
Isaiah Pineiro is connecting at 60 percent from the field and 50 percent from long distance.
