SAN DIEGO -- The Toreros (19-10, 13-5 WCC) rallied from a five deficit after the third quarter to beat the Waves (14-14, 8-10 WCC) 62-58 at home on Saturday afternoon. The victory secures San Diego the second seed for the West Coast Conference tournament next week, earning the Toreros a triple-bye into the semifinals.
 
Junior guard Myah Pace led the way for the Toreros on offense with 15 points, four assists and two steals. With her second steal of the game in the final 25 seconds, Pace is now the single-season record holder in the category, surpassing Maya Hood who set the mark in 2015.
 
Senior Leticia Soares added 14 points and two steals off the bench, and Jordyn Edwards chipped in as well with 13 points, six rebounds and five assists.
 
San Diego out-rebounded Pepperdine 41-29 in Saturday's game, led by senior Patricia Brossmann's 13 boards. The Toreros also grabbed 12 offensive rebounds and scored six second chance points.
 
The San Diego defense was effective at taking away the basketball in Saturday's game, forcing 14 Pepperdine turnovers. Those takeaways turned into 12 points on the offensive end of the floor. Brossmann's two steals led the way individually for the Toreros.
 
San Diego started off strong, putting together a 19-17 lead heading into the second quarter. San Diego got out and ran in the period, scoring five points on the break.
 
The Toreros couldn't maintain their lead in the second quarter and entered halftime trailing 34-30.
 
USD's deficit continued to grow after halftime, and the Toreros faced a 50-45 disadvantage heading to the fourth quarter. San Diego played well near the basket, scoring 10 of its 15 points in the paint.
 
Pepperdine kept widening its lead in the fourth, constructing a 53-47 advantage. Brossmann nailed a bank-shot three from the top of the key with under five and a half to go to even the score at 53 apiece. San Diego continued to chip away working into an 8-0 run, finished off by a layup from Brossmann to seize a 55-53 lead with five minutes to go in the contest.
 
The Toreros kept expanding the margin as Edwards hit a dagger three with 48 seconds remaining to  and coasted the rest of the way for the 62-58 win. San Diego fired away from deep in the quarter, knocking down three shots to account for nine of its 17 points.
 
The Toreros are back in action on Monday, March 9 at 2 p.m. (PT) in Las Vegas at the New Orleans Arena for the West Coast Conference semifinals. San Diego will take on the winner of game six on March 7.
 
This article was created with the help of technology provided by Data Skrive.