MALIBU, CA – Led by four in double-figures and 20 made free throws, the San Diego men's basketball team (8-7, 1-1 WCC) earned its first WCC win of the season at Pepperdine (6-11, 0-2 WCC), 72-62.
 
Senior forward Marcellus Earlington led the Toreros with 16 points to go along with eight rebounds. Earlington went 5-of-5 from the free throw line and scored 10 of his points in the second half.
 
Redshirt senior guard Joey Calcaterra added 12 points, six rebounds, and five assists in the win.
 
Graduate center Terrell Brown-Soares notched 10 points and 10 rebounds for the second consecutive contest.
 
Junior Yavuz Gultekin contributed 11 points for the second straight game, shooting 5-of-11 from the field.
 
San Diego improves to 8-7 (1-1 WCC) on the season, and will return home to face Portland on Thursday.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED

• San Diego used a 7-0 run early in the first half to go ahead 17-6. Four of those were from Earlington, who made a layup, stole the inbounds pass, and made another layup.
• After a timeout, Pepperdine answered with a 7-0 run to bring its deficit to four.
• The Waves later made it a one-point game with a 6-0 run, but USD answered with a triple from Gultekin and two Brown-Soares free throws.
• A triple from Calcaterra, a layup from Gultekin, and free throws from Parrish and McKinney extended San Diego's lead to nine with less than two minutes to play in the opening half. Pepperdine added a late fast break layup, and USD led 34-27 at the break.
• With a strong start to the second half, Pepperdine took a 39-38 lead at the 15:04 mark.
• San Diego quickly regained the lead with buckets from Berger, McKinney, Brown-Soares, and Earlington.
• In the biggest spurt of the game, USD scored 10 straight points to go ahead 60-46 with 6:12 remaining. Earlington buried a triple, converted an and-one play, and made two free throws in that span.
• The Toreros made seven free throws, all from Calcaterra and Monroe over the last 2:33 to seal the win. 

TORERO TIDBITS

• Earlington went into double-figures for a team-leading 11^th time this season. He is averaging 13.5 points and 6.3 rebounds per contest.
• San Diego's 20 made free throws were the second most this season (22 vs La Verne).
• After back-to-back double-doubles, Brown-Soares is now averaging 8.5 points and 8.1 rebounds in 2021-22. He also blocked two more shots tonight, and is up to 2.8 per game.
• San Diego led for 37:18 and won the rebounding battle 45-40.
• Calcaterra registered double-digits for the ninth time this season, trailing only Earlington for most on the team. His five assists were one off a career high, set against Pepperdine.
• Gultekin went into double-figures for the third time this season, including back-to-back games after starting in both.
• Wayne McKinney and Josh Parrish each tallied seven points.

 
UP NEXT
USD will play its first home game since December 11 when they host Portland this Thursday, January 13. The Toreros hold a 58-31 advantage in the all-time series, including six straight wins.