PALM SPRINGS, CALIF. — After winning four of its first five games to begin the 2023-2024 campaign — including all four of its games at the Jenny Craig Pavilion — San Diego men's basketball is set to embark on its first true road trip of the season this week, traveling to Palm Springs, California to compete in the Acrisure Invitational at the 11,000-seat Acrisure Arena.

The Toreros (4-1, 0-0 WCC) will begin play in the tournament on Friday evening with a 7:30 p.m. matchup against Arkansas State (1-3, 0-0 Sun Belt).

San Diego will conclude play in the event on Saturday, playing at either 7:30 p.m. (if it wins on Friday) or 5:00 p.m. (if it loses on Friday) against either UT Rio Grande Valley or Hawaii.

A free, live radio broadcast of both games with The Voice of the Toreros, Jack Cronin on the calls will be available on USDToreros.com.

Access to a live video stream of both days' contests can be purchased for $20.

Live statistics for the tournament will be provided on StatBroadcast.com.

ALL-TIME SERIES AGAINST ARKANSAS STATE

• Friday night will mark the first-ever meeting between the Toreros and Red Wolves on the hardwood.

ALL-TIME SERIES AGAINST UTRGV

• Saturday would mark the first-ever meeting between the Toreros and Vaqueros on the hardwood.

ALL-TIME SERIES AGAINST HAWAII

• The Toreros are 6-1 against the Rainbow Warriors all-time. San Diego and Hawaii last met on December 2, 2007, when USD won by an 81-67 margin at the Jenny Craig Pavilion.

LAST TIME OUT: Oladokun Jr. and McKinney III Headline Resilient Victory Over Navy

• San Diego men's basketball on Monday night ended a two-game homestand with yet another comeback win, taking down Navy by a 67-59 margin in the Jenny Craig Pavilion to remain undefeated at home this season. 

• Freshman forward Jimmy Oladokun Jr. headlined the victory with the finest performance of his young college career thus far, scoring a career-high 14 points while pulling in five rebounds.

• Wayne McKinney III led all scorers with 16 points of his own alongside four rebounds and four assists. Deuce Turner added 13 points and matched McKinney III's assist total. 

How It Happened:

• A pair of threes from freshman Dragos Lungu and transfer PJ Hayes, as well as an and-one from junior Deuce Turner helped USD claim a four-point lead midway through Monday night's first half.

• Navy didn't trail for long, eventually tying the game at 16-16 at the eight minute mark on a pair of free throws from forward Mitch Fischer.

• San Diego ended a 2:30 scoring drought late in the first half on an elbow jumper from Turner, then pulled ahead with less than a minute to go until the break with a bucket from freshman forward Santiago Trouet. 

• Navy forward Donovan Draper hit a jumper to give the Midshipmen a one-point lead as the halftime buzzer sounded, sending USD into the intermission trailing 31-30.

• The San Diego defense came out of the gates strong in the second half, holding Navy scoreless for more than two minutes as a flurry of points in the paint from Oladokun Jr. kept the game close for the Toreros.

• An athletic spin move into a floater from McKinney III knotted the game up at 42-42 later in the second half, then Deuce Turner gave the Toreros the lead with another and one to put San Diego up by three. 

• A ferocious slam dunk from Oladokun Jr. gave USD some much-needed momentum down the stretch, making way for a fastbreak lay-up from Hayes that gave the Toreros their largest lead of the game at 53-46 with five minutes to go in the contest.

• Navy erased a five-point San Diego lead to pull within one with a minute and a half left in the game but got no closer, dropping a 67-59 decision to the Toreros after McKinney III made all 10 of his free throws in the game's final 1:09 to seal his team the victory.

Notable:

• Freshman Dragos Lungu totaled a team-high seven rebounds and nine points for the Toreros before fouling out of the contest. 

• Turner and McKinney III have now reached double-digit points in four of the Toreros' first five games in 2023.

• McKinney III added four rebounds and four assists, and was a perfect 10-for-10 from the free throw line. 

• Led by five from freshman Kevin Patton Jr. and three from Oladokun Jr., San Diego tallied a season-high 11 blocks on Monday, and were blocked by Navy just once.

• The Toreros outscored the Midshipmen 42-34 in the paint, and 25-10 on fastbreak points.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Kevin Patton Jr. | Freshman | Guard | Rancho Christian

• Leads USD in total rebounds (34), and rebounds-per game (6.8) as a guard

• Leads the Toreros in blocks, with seven through five games, alongside fellow freshmen Jimmy Oladukon Jr. (five) and Santiago Trouet (five).

• Has been the second-most efficient three-point shooter for the Toreros (minimum five attempts) shooting .308 from beyond the arc.

Wayne McKinney III | Junior | Guard | Coronado

• Leads USD in points per game (15.6), assists (18), steals (nine), and made free throws (35)

• Spent the last three seasons at USD after graduating from nearby Coronado High School

PJ Hayes | Senior | Forward | Black Hills State University

• Leads USD with 10 made three-pointers this season

• Ranks fifth for the Toreros in total points (50), and points per game (10)

Dragos Lungu | Freshman | Guard | NBA Global

• Is USD's most efficient scorer (minimum 6 attempts), shooting 56% from the field while averaging 10.5 points per game so far this season

• Leads USD this season in both offensive rebounds (nine), and ranks second in total rebounds (26)

• Leads a lengthy list of USD freshmen in assists (13), free throws made (14), points scored (41), and points per game (10.2) through five games.