LOS ANGELES — San Diego men's basketball (13-9, 6-3 WCC) took control late and hung on for a gritty win over West Coast Conference foe Loyola Marymount (9-10, 2-5 WCC) on Saturday evening, beating the Lions 69-65 at the Gersten Pavilion.

Senior Joey Calcaterra led the way for the Toreros with 16 points (6-10 FG, six rebounds), followed by graduate student Josh Parrish (12 points), senior Marcellus Earlington (11 points, game-high eight rebounds) and graduate student Terrell Brown-Soares (eight points, two rebounds, one block).


HOW IT HAPPENED

• USD fell behind early in the first half, chasing by as many as seven before embarking on a 10-0 run.
• A lay-up from senior Jase Townsend gave the Toreros a 21-20 advantage at the 7:31 mark, then Calcaterra, Brown-Soares, and Calcaterra again got in on the action to make it a 27-20 game in favor of the visiting team.
• Parrish nailed a jumper at the 2:07 mark to move the score to 33-27 as USD attempted to stave off a LMU surge, but the Lions rallied to tie it at 33 heading into the break via four points from Jalin Anderson and two more from Eli Scott.
• San Diego started strong in the second half, immediately answering a quick two from Loyola Marymount with a score of their own before pulling ahead 36-35 courtesy of two made free throws from Calcaterra.
• Earlington then added on with a layup at the 17:27 mark, and the Toreros pushed the lead to 38-35.
• USD traded blows with the Lions throughout the late stages of the second half, tying the game at 44 and 49 before establishing a late advantage at 52-50 behind a three from Earlington.
• Freshman Wayne McKinney III (Coronado High School) extended that lead by forcing a steal on the defensive end then going coast-to-coast for the fastbreak slam dunk.
• The Toreros' advantage swelled to as many as six as the final frame wound down when Calcaterra drilled a three pointer, making good on Earlington's offensive rebound following a missed free throw.
• LMU got within two at 67-65 in the contest's final minute, but the San Diego defense stood tall down the stretch, forcing an air-ball on a three-point attempt from the Lions' Joe Quintana with 21 seconds remaining.
• Calcaterra then made a pair of free throws after being fouled with 18 seconds remaining to put the game out of reach and secure the Toreros a 69-65 win over Loyola Marymount.

TORERO TIDBITS

• McKinney III recorded six assists, one off the game-high.
• The Coronado, California native also notched five defensive rebounds, tied with Calcaterra for second most in the game.
• Junior Yavuz Gültekin posted eight points, and sophomore TJ Berger had six — all from his 2-2 night shooting threes.
• With the win, the Toreros have secured a regular-season sweep over LMU, their second such sweep of the season (Pepperdine).

UP NEXT
San Diego returns home to continue WCC play against No. 2 Gonzaga on Thursday, February 3. Tipoff at the Jenny Craig Pavilion is set for 6 p.m., and tickets can be purchased here.