SAN DIEGO – Four Toreros reached double figures, led by redshirt junior Braun Hartfield's 17, but UC Irvine overcame San Diego's 14-point halftime lead and took down the Toreros 76-73 in the Jenny Craig Pavilion on Tuesday to open the 2019-20 season.
 
USD (0-1) shot 51.5% from the field in the first half, including 7-of-13 (53.8%) from three, to open a 48-34 lead at halftime. Seven different Toreros contributed points, with five ranging from five to 10 points, to provide an even distribution of offense and carry the double-digit advantage into the second half.
 
However, in the final 20 minutes, UC Irvine (1-0) held the Toreros to only six field goals and 23.1% shooting. After making seven three-pointers in the first half, USD hit only one three in the second half, a bank shot by Hartfield that brought the score to 74-73 with 14 seconds left in the game.
 
UC Irvine responded to Hartfield's three by sinking both of its free throws on the ensuing possession and providing the three-point differential. The Anteaters finished 24-of-27 from the free throw line and were led by Evan Leonard, who finished 10-of-10 from the charity stripe and a game-high 19 points.
 
In his USD debut, Hartfield led the Toreros in points and rebounds (8) in 35 minutes. The Youngstown State transfer was 5-of-11 from the field and 5-of-6 from the free throw line.
 
Redshirt freshman Marion Humphrey added 14 points on 5-of-9 shooting, including a pair of three-pointers, in his Torero debut while redshirt sophomore Joey Calcaterra contributed 12 points, four rebounds and a career-high four steals. Junior Yauhen Massalski scored six of his 11 points in the first half and also grabbed five rebounds.
 
The game was locked in a close affair halfway through the first half, but a Noel Coleman three-pointer at the 10:46 mark sparked an 18-3 run for the Toreros to lift them to a 35-20 advantage. Coleman's long range shot was one of four during the stretch as Humphrey, Hartfield and Floresca also joined in.
 
The Anteaters closed the gap back to single digits with a layup at the three-minute mark, but USD went on to score 11 of the next 13 points to give it its largest lead of the game at 48-30. After James Jean-Marie sunk one of his two three-pointers to give the Toreros a 16-point lead, Hartfield made use of an offensive rebound and finished with a second-chance jumper to make it an 18-point advantage with less than a minute remaining in the first half.
 
The Toreros led by as much as 15 points in the second half, after a jumper by Hartfield with 13:10 remaining, but they did not make a field goal for the next eight minutes before Humphrey drained a jumper to make it 64-61 USD with five-and-a-half minutes left.
 
After UC Irvine took the lead at 4:23 and Alex Floresca hit the front end of his two free throws to tie the game at 65-65, the Anteaters held off the Toreros over the remaining minutes. Their largest lead in the second half was four points, which was quickly erased when Hartfield made his late three-pointer.
 
The Toreros hit the road for their next game, a 3:30 p.m. matchup at Long Beach State on Saturday.