SANTA CLARA, Calif. – Tyler Williams scored a season-high 19 points but it was not enough to help San Diego overcome a 17-point first-half deficit as the Toreros fell 68-56 at Santa Clara on Thursday night.
 
USD (11-5, 0-1 WCC) was undone by a slow start, opening the game 2-of-14 from the field and missing its first nine shots. The Toreros managed just 18 points in the first half, its lowest in any half of the season.
 
Williams provided scoring sparks throughout the game on 7-of-12 shooting but USD struggled to get going offensively overall as a team. The Toreros shot just 42 percent from the field and 19 percent from 3-point range on the night.
 
The Toreros could not slow down the Broncos (9-6, 1-0 WCC) Tahj Eaddy who scored a game-high 30 points. Eaddy outscored USD himself in the first half with 21 points.
 
Isaiah Pineiro grabbed a career-high 16 rebounds and chipped in 12 points to register his second consecutive double-double.
 
Yauhen Massalski recorded his second double-double of the season with 11 points and 11 rebounds. He is averaging 10.0 points and 6.8 rebounds over the past three games.
 
USD committed a season-high 20 turnovers, which Santa Clara converted into 25 points.
 
After its worse half of the season to start the game, the Toreros bounced back early in the second. Olin Carter III hit a 3-pointer on the first shot of the second half and sparked an 11-2 run in which five different Toreros scored. The rally cut USD's deficit to 37-29.
 
The Broncos extended their lead back to 16 after a pair of free throws by Eaddy with 11:25 to play. Santa Clara took its largest lead of the night 60-41 on a layup by Keshawn Justice with 6:34 remaining.
 
The Toreros continued to battle and chipped away at the deficit over the next five minutes. A 3-pointer by Williams followed by three free throws by Carter III made it a 10-point game with 2:43 remaining.
 
Williams went on a 4-0 scoring run of his own with less than two minutes to play to cut USD's deficit to 62-56. However, that was as close as the Toreros would get.
 
Santa Clara scored the game's final six points to seal the 68-56 decision.
 
The Toreros will look to get back on track Saturday at 8 p.m. PT when they play host to Pacific.