SAN DIEGO - A layup by
Isaiah Wright with two seconds remaining in regulation sent the game to overtime but San Diego was unable to finish off BYU in the extra period, falling 88-82 on Thursday night in Jenny Craig Pavilion.
The Toreros (16-10, 5-6 WCC) led nearly the entire game and held a 14 point lead with 16:06 to play. However, the Cougars (17-10, 9-3 WCC) reeled off a 20-7 run to cut their deficit to 60-59 with 9:48 to play.
USD struggled down the stretch, committing four turnovers and hitting just three shots from the field over the final 6:30.
BYU took its first lead of the game with 3:50 to play and held a one-point lead, 74-73, with 33 seconds left on the clock. A free throw by Nick Emery with five seconds remaining made the Toreros deficit two points.
Wright received the in-bounds pass, raced the length of the court and converted a layup for the tying basket with two seconds on the clock to send the game to overtime.
The Cougars took over in the extra period, connecting on 4-of-5 shots from the field while the Toreros went 0-for-3. USD's only points in the extra period came at the free throw line, hitting 7-of-8 attempts.
It was a tough defeat for the Toreros, which led for 35:18 of the game and shot 52 percent from the field. It was only USD's second loss in 13 home games this season.
Olin Carter III and
Isaiah Pineiro led the Toreros with 20 points apiece. Carter III got going early, hitting four 3-pointers in the first eight minutes of the game.
Pineiro added 12 rebounds to his 20 points for his 11th double-double of the season and fifth consecutive. He was second on the team with five assists.
Yauhen Massalski chipped in 13 points on 5-of-6 shooting from the field, while
Alex Floresca also hit double-digits with 12 points on 4-of-4 shooting.
Tyler Williams went 3-of-5 from behind the arc to add nine points.
Wright paced the Toreros with seven assists and grabbed seven rebounds.
The Toreros held BYU's TJ Haws to seven points in the first half but could not contain him the remainder of the game. Haws finished with a career-high 35 points on 11-of-18 shooting, including a 3-of-5 clip from behind the arc and 10-of-11 from the free throw line.
Yoeli Childs did damage throughout the game and finished with 27 points and 12 rebounds.
After USD took a nine-point lead into halftime, BYU's offense came alive and outscored the Toreros 45-36 in the period. The Cougars' comeback was fueled by a 7-of-13 performance from 3-point range.
The Toreros turned the ball over 18 times on the night, leading to 18 BYU points.
USD will look to bounce back Saturday when it plays host to No. 3 Gonzaga at 7 p.m. PT.
