SAN DIEGO -- San Diego (16-9, 10-4 WCC) grabbed a 20-15 first-quarter lead and never trailed from there on the way to a 73-59 victory against Saint Mary's (11-15, 6-9 WCC) at home on Saturday afternoon.
 
"We really tried to lock in and defend from the catch, and hats off to Sydney Hunter who was on the entire first half," said head coach Cindy Fisher "She was really locked in. It was a great effort by our entire team."
 
The Toreros had two players score in double figures, led by Sydney Hunter, who recorded 18 points for a new season-high and four steals. Junior guard Myah Pace added 14 points and three steals, and Jordyn Edwards added six points, six assists and three steals.
 
Senior forward Patricia Brossmann pulled down four offensive rebounds to lead San Diego's offense that racked up second chance opportunities, grabbing 15 boards and turning them into 14 second chance points.
 
San Diego forced 23 Saint Mary's turnovers while committing just seven themselves in Saturday's game. The Toreros turned those takeaways into 28 points on the offensive end of the floor. Hunter's four steals led the way for San Diego.
 
"They just continue to get better all the time," said Fisher. "I harp on our entire team defense, defense, defense, and our bench has come in to help contribute and execute our scheme."
 
After falling behind 8-4 early in the first, San Diego went on a 12-0 run, culminating in a bucket from Ayanna Khalfani, to take a 16-8 lead. The Toreros continued to push the Gaels defensively and entered the second with a five-point advantage, 20-15. San Diego did most of its first quarter damage in the paint, scoring 14 of its 20 points close to the basket.
 
San Diego's defense took over in the second quarter, forcing 11 Saint Mary's turnovers in the period as Aminata Dosso tacked on three steals. Hunter continued to work offensively for San Diego scoring six of the team's 14 points in the second. The Toreros then entered halftime with a 34-23 edge after scoring 12 points in the paint.
 
USD wasted no time building on its lead, going on an 8-0 run early in the third, punctuated by a basket from Hunter, to expand its lead further to 42-23. Pace was dominant in the paint during the third as her and Hunter combined to score 12 more. The defense continued to cause problems for the Gaels forcing six more turnovers and tacking on five steals.
 
The Toreros cruised the rest of the way in the fourth to win it 73-59. San Diego took advantage of its opportunities in the post, scoring 10 of its 17 points in the paint.
 
San Diego is back in action on Thursday to face San Francisco on the road at 7 p.m. (PT) before traveling to Santa Clara for its final two road matchups of the regular season.
 
This article was created with the help of technology provided by Data Skrive.