LAS VEGAS, Nev. -  The Toreros (20-10) advanced to the 2020 UCU WCC Tournament Championship game, after defeating Pepperdine (16-15) 59-44 in the semifinals on Monday afternoon.
 
"It was like a boxing match out there," said head coach Cindy Fisher. "They battled from beginning to end and that's what they've done all year. I'm so incredibly proud of them for putting us in this position to play for a championship."
 
San Diego grabbed a 17-11 first quarter lead and never trailed from there on the way to victory. Two players scored in double figures with Leticia Soares and Myah Pace recording 19 points on the afternoon. Pace tacked on six rebounds and three steals to her performance, and Jordyn Edwards added eight points, seven rebounds and two steals.
 
The Toreros won the rebounding fight on Monday, out-rebounding Pepperdine 38-31 in the contest led by senior Patricia Brossmann's nine boards.
 
San Diego's defense held Pepperdine to only 29.8 percent from the field, including 11.8 percent from beyond the arc.
 
The Waves didn't have much luck cleaning up their misses on the offensive glass either, as they finished with nine offensive rebounds and managed eight second chance points while San Diego cleared 29 defensive rebounds.
 
After falling behind 11-6 early in the first, San Diego went on an 11-0 run with four and a half minutes left in the first quarter to take a 17-11 lead, a score that would hold for the rest of the period. San Diego did most of its first quarter damage in the paint, scoring 10 of its 17 points close to the basket.
 
The Toreros maintained their lead in the game's second frame and entered halftime with a 29-24 edge. San Diego dominated in the paint, scoring 12 of its 12 points close to the basket.
 
Edwards entered the offensive effort after intermission to help increase San Diego's lead, scoring five of her eight points in the period. The redshirt junior solidified a 40-30 advantage with a buzzer-beating three-pointer to end the quarter. San Diego took advantage of five Pepperdine turnovers in the quarter, scoring three points off of takeaways.
 
San Diego coasted to the win from there, never decreasing their lead to less than eight points in the fourth. USD got up and down the court quickly in the quarter, scoring four fast break points.
 
The Toreros will play for the 2020 UCU WCC Tournament title tomorrow at 1 p.m. (PT) against Portland. The championship game will air on ESPNU.
 
This article was created with the help of technology provided by Data Skrive.