MEMPHIS, Tenn. – Olin Carter III erupted for 17 points in the second half but it was not enough to erase an early deficit as San Diego fell to Memphis 74-60 on Tuesday night at the FedExForum.
Carter III tied his season high of five 3-pointers made to lead the comeback effort for the Toreros (21-15), which concludes their season with at least 20 wins for the second consecutive season.
The defeat is the final game for USD seniors Carter III,
Isaiah Pineiro,
Tyler Williams and
Isaiah Wright. The quartet has contributed to multiple historical marks for USD, including competing in a postseason tournament in consecutive years for the first time in program history.
USD was ultimately undone by a slow start offensively and a season-high 22 turnovers. The Toreros fell behind by 14 points early in the first half after going through a seven-minute stretch in which they did not score a basket from the field.
USD stayed within striking distance in the first half by playing well defensively and eventually cut the deficit to one point with 3:00 to play in the half.
Yauhen Massalski helped spark the defensive effort off the bench, making a series of plays in his first four minutes that included three rebounds, two blocks and a steal. He finished with a game-high 11 rebounds.
Williams got the Toreros going offensively, knocking down three 3-pointers in the half – including two in the final 3:30.
The Tigers (22-13) closed the half on an 8-2 run to take a 37-30 lead into the break.
The Tigers heated up in the second half, knocking down eight of their first 10 shots. Memphis shot 60 percent (15-of-25) from the field in the second half, while the Toreros connected on 39 percent of their shots.
Carter III carried the offense with his 17 points in the second period, going 5-of-7 from beyond the arc. The rest of the Toreros went a combined 4-of-14 from the field and 1-of-6 from 3-point range.
The Toreros were able to reduce their deficit to 62-55 with 7:18 to play when Carter III capped a run of scoring 11 straight points for USD with his fifth 3-pointer of the half. However, that was as close as the Toreros would get as Memphis closed the game on a 12-5 run to secure the decision.
