San Diego Toreros (3-7) • Holy Cross Crusaders (1-7)
Saturday, December 7 • 7 p.m.
Jenny Craig Pavilion (5,100) • San Diego, Calif.
TV • WCC Network | Live Statistics • USDToreros.com
Twitter: @USDMBB • Instagram: @USDMBB
SAN DIEGO – After a two-game stint in Florida, San Diego returns home to host Holy Cross in the final game of the 2019 Boca Raton Beach Classic.
Both the Toreros and Crusaders are 1-2 in the tournament so far, with San Diego topping Hofstra, the Naismith Bracket champion, in a school-site game before losing both contests in Boca Raton against St. Bonaventure and UIC. Holy Cross, meanwhile, went 1-1 in Boca Raton after it picked up its first win of the season against Mercer.
Saturday's game can be seen on the WCC Network, with the Voice of the Toreros Jack Cronin on the call.
LAST TIME OUT: BIG FIRST-HALF RUNS HINDER TOREROS IN LOSS
- San Diego surrendered a pair of big first-half runs and could not slow down a UIC shooting attack that finished the game 51% from the field as the Toreros lost their second game in a row, 89-83, on Monday in the Boca Raton Beach Classic at FAU Arena. The Toreros (3-7) saw UIC (3-6) go on 25-3 and 10-2 runs during stretches of the first half after they opened the game by scoring 12 of the first 15 points. The biggest run lasted for nine minutes, starting at 15:24 with a layup – the Flames' first field goal since their initial one 45 seconds into the game – and ended when Tarkus Ferguson made one of UIC's eight three-pointers at 6:37 to make it 28-15. Jared Rodriguez scored a season-high 22 points while Joey Calcaterra (19), Marion Humphrey (17) and Braun Hartfield (14) joined Rodriguez in double figures. The four combined for 72 points on 25-of-56 shooting (44.6%).
ALL-TIME SERIES AGAINST HOLY CROSS
- Saturday will be the first all-time meeting between the Toreros and the Crusaders.
- It will be USD's first time facing a Patriot League opponent since 1999-2000 (vs. Lehigh - W, 67-61).
LOOKING AHEAD
- The Toreros spend the rest of December in California as they will head to Cal State Fullerton for a midweek nonconference matchup against the Titans on Wednesday, December 11 (7 p.m.).
BRAUN BRAUN
- Redshirt junior Braun Hartfield has heated up lately, scoring double-digits in each of the last three games and pulling in double-digit rebounds twice.
- The Cleveland, Ohio native is averaging 19.0 points on 50% shooting (22-of-44) in the last three games while also tallying 8.7 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 1.7 steals.
- In the first seven games, Hartfield averaged 9.4 points and 5.9 rebounds while shooting 37.3%.
- The starkest improvement for Hartfield has been his three-point shooting as he is 6-of-15 (40%) in his last three games compared to 5-of-27 (18.5%) in the first seven.
- Hartfield has become the team's second-leading scorer and rebounder for the season.
- He also has a double-double in two of the last three games, including in the last game vs. UIC (14 pts, 10 reb).
JARED'S 20
- Redshirt sophomore Jared Rodriguez scored a career-high 22 points off the bench against UIC, going 7-of-14 from the field (1-of-3 3FG) and 7-of-9 from the line.
- Rodriguez's 22 points were the most off the bench by a Torero since Chris Manresa had 25 at Saint Mary's in February 2012 (source: Sports Reference).
- It was only the fifth 20-point game by a Torero reserve in the last nine seasons.
- Rodriguez has played in nine games this season off the bench, averaging 8.0 points in 22.4 minutes.
- It was Rodriguez's second 20-point game of his collegiate career as he had 28 against Southern Utah in February 2019 with Idaho.
- In the last four games, the Glendale, Arizona product is averaging 11.0 points on 45.7% shooting (16-of-35) and 3.8 rebounds.
DOUBLE-DIGIT EFFORT
- Redshirt sophomore Joey Calcaterra had double-digit points in each game in Florida, giving him eight games of 10+ points this season.
- Calcaterra is the ninth Torero since 2010-11 to have eight games of 10+ points in the first 10 games of a season (source: Sports Reference). It is the 13th time it has happened by a Torero in the last 10 seasons.
- Last year, Olin Carter III (10) and Isaiah Pineiro (10) turned the feat.
- Olin Carter III (2018-19) - 10
- Isaiah Pineiro (2018-19) - 10
- Olin Carter III (2016-17) - 10
- Johnny Dee (2014-15) - 10
- Isaiah Pineiro (2017-18) - 9
- Johnny Dee (2013-14) - 9
- Joey Calcaterra (2019-20) - 8
- Isaiah Wright (2017-18) - 8
- Brett Bailey (2016-17) - 8
- Duda Sanadze (2015-16) - 8
- Christopher Anderson (2013-14) - 8
- Duda Sanadze (2013-14) - 8
- Ken Rancifer (2010-11) - 8
LEADING SCORER
- With the help of the eight double-digit scoring games, Calcaterra is the team's leading scorer with 14.9 points over 10 games.
- His 149 total points have already surpassed his season total as a redshirt freshman when he had 90 in 398 minutes (35 games). This year he has played a total of 309 minutes.
- In his last three games, Calcaterra is averaging 17.0 points on 43.1% shooting (19-of-44), 3.7 assists and 3.7 rebounds.
MARION ALL-AROUND
- Since scoring 13 against at #25 Washington on November 24, redshirt freshman Marion Humphrey has been a hot-shooter as he is 53.3% (16-of-30) from the field and 40% (4-of-10) from three.
- In the last four games, Humphrey is averaging 11.5 points, 3.3 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 1.0 steal.
OFFENSIVE IMPROVEMENT OVER THE LAST THREE
- In the last three games, the Toreros are averaging nearly 10 more points per game. They are shooting 44.7% (84-of-188) and averaging 74.3 points during the stretch.
- In the first seven contests, USD shot 40.3% (158-of-392) and averaged 64.1 points.
- Part of the uptick in scoring is better three-point shooting as they are 35.5% (22-of-62) from beyond the arc in the last three, compared to 31.4% (48-of-153) in the first seven.
- The Toreros have scored 79+ points in two of the last three games. Their season-high before the stretch was 73, set in the season opener against UC Irvine.
- Defensively, USD is allowing 76.0 points on 44.6% shooting in the last three. In the first seven games, the Toreros allowed 71.0 points also on 44.6% shooting. Opponents are averaging 6.7 made three-pointers recently (31.3%), up from their 5.4 in the first seven games (29.7%).
LIMITING THE TURNOVERS
- In the last three games, USD has only turned the ball over more than 10 times in a game once (13 vs. St. Bonaventure on Dec. 1). The Toreros had double-digit turnovers in each of the first seven games of the season.
- San Diego is averaging 9.3 turnovers per game in the last three (record: 1-2). To start the season, it was averaging 16.7 (record: 2-5).
- USD is 2-1 this season when it has 10 or fewer turnovers.
FIRST HALF vs. SECOND HALF
- In the first seven games of the season, USD was outscored in the second half, 259-208 (-51 margin). In the last three, the Toreros are outscoring opponents in the last 20 minutes, 122-113 (+9 margin).
- However, USD has now been outscored 115-101 in the first half over the last three (-14 margin).
FIRST 10: 2018-19 vs. 2019-20
- USD is averaging 67.2 points in the first 10 games of the season and shooting 41.7% from the field, 47.3% from two-point, and 32.4% from three-point range.
- Last year, the Toreros averaged 77.8 points in the first 10 games, shot 47.5% from the field, 55.1% from two-point, and 36.3% from three.
FROM BEYOND THE ARC
- USD is second in the WCC with 215 three-point attempts this season (72nd in the country).
- The Toreros are averaging 21.5 three-point attempts a game and only taken less than 20 attempts in a game twice this season, including in the last game vs. UIC when they had a season-low 16.