PROVO, Utah – San Diego led early and kept it tied with under four minutes remaining in the first half, but BYU shot 55% from the field, including 50% from three-point range, to deal the Toreros a 93-70 loss on Thursday at the Marriott Center.
 
USD (7-13, 0-5 WCC) was outscored 42-14 in the paint and saw the Cougars (14-5, 3-1) score 23 points off its 17 turnovers as it lost its fifth game in the row.
 
Braun Hartfield led the Toreros with 21 points, his third 20-point game of the year. He was 5-of-8 from three-point range and 6-of-14 from the field. The redshirt junior also added five rebounds and an assist.
 
Joey Calcaterra (13) and Finn Sullivan (13) joined Hartfield in double-figures. Sullivan, in his second start of the season, generated eight of his 13 points at the free throw line. Calcaterra had eight of his 13 in the second half and added five rebounds to tie Hartfield and Jared Rodriguez for second-most on the team.
 
The Toreros won the rebounding battle, 35-33, but they were unable to slow down the Cougars inside. All five BYU starters had double-digit points, led by forward Kolby Lee and his 21. The sophomore was a perfect 8-of-8 from the field.
 
USD was up by eight seven minutes into the game, with a three-pointer by Sullivan making it 19-11, but a 9-0 BYU run, capped by a baseline dunk by Dalton Nixon and a transition three by Alex Barcello, gave the Cougars a 20-19 advantage with 10 minutes left in the first half.
 
The two sides traded the lead thanks to a string of three-pointers, but BYU established a 34-30 advantage with a basket inside by Lee following a USD turnover. The Toreros climbed back and tied the game at 34-34 with the help of a pair of free throws by Alex Floresca coming out of the last media timeout. However, the Cougars went on another run, this time 11-0, which was fueled by four USD fouls. Calcaterra hit a tough lay-up to break up the stretch, but BYU answered Calcaterra's floater with a three-pointer to help make it 48-36 going into the break.
 
Offensively, the Toreros only had one field goal in the final seven minutes of the first half, going 1-of-12 from the field and committing four turnovers. They did make all six of their free throws down the stretch to keep the game within reach. On the other end, BYU closed out the half by making four of its last five three-point shots.
 
The Toreros never pulled any closer than 13 in the second half after BYU scored on its opening possession. They did make it a 14-point deficit when James Jean-Marie drained a three-pointer and Calcaterra knocked down both of his free throws after drawing a foul on a driving attempt to make it 60-46. After BYU failed on a three-point attempt following the free throws, Jean-Marie worked his way inside but missed a lay-up underneath the basket that resulted in a fast break three-pointer on the other end to give the Cougars a 17-point advantage. The three sparked a quick run that allowed BYU to take a 20-point lead at 69-49 with 10:27 remaining.
 
BYU led by as much as 29 when a pair of three-pointers over a 32-second stretch put it up 87-58. The Cougars were 5-of-9 from three-point range in the second half.
 
The Toreros will stay on the road for the weekend as they travel to Portland for a matchup on Saturday. Tip-off is at 7 p.m. and it can be watched on the WCC Network.
 
 
NOTES
Hartfield matched his season-high in three-pointers made with five (Last: December 29, 2019 vs. Whittier). He started the game 4-of-4 from long distance.
 
USD was 20-of-28 (71.4%) from the free throw line. BYU was 16-of-22 (72.7%).
 
The Toreros had 12 free throws made in the first half (92.3%) and nine field goals (33.3%).
 
Yauhen Massalski led USD with six rebounds.
 
USD surrendered 11 three-pointers for the third time this season, all of which have been in the last four games.
 
The 93 points allowed were the second-most surrendered by USD this year. The 55% shooting from the field was also the second-worst allowed.