SAN DIEGO — San Diego men's basketball (7-4, 0-0 WCC) on Saturday night earned the biggest win of its 2023-2024 season thus far, electrifying a hometown crowd of 1,102 with a 89-84 comeback victory over Arizona State (6-3, 0-0 Pac-12) in the Jenny Craig Pavilion. 

The Toreros trailed by as many as 12 points early in the first half but surged ahead with a 13-0 run in the final minutes of the game. After creeping within a point of the Sun Devils on several occasions, San Diego tied the score at 71-71 with 5:19 remaining on a dunk from Steven Jamerson II before a Deuce Turner layup put USD up by a 73-71 margin with 4:51 to go. 

Arizona State tied the score at 83-83 down the stretch but got no closer after freshman guard Kevin Patton Jr. sealed the win for USD by inbounding the ball to himself off a Sun Devil's back and completing a clutch lay-up with 24 seconds remaining to give the Toreros a two-possession lead that they did not relinquish.

Turner and Black Hills State transfer PJ Hayes paced USD as they turned in tandem career-high performances, finishing with 23 points apiece.

Their performances were complemented by a near double-double from Jamerson II, who recorded 10 points and pulled in nine rebounds alongside two assists and one block. 

HOW IT HAPPENED

• Saturday's contest began with a flurry of three-point attempts from both teams before veteran guard Dominic Muncey opened up the scoring by finding the bottom of the net from beyond the arc to give USD an early advantage.
• Wayne McKinney III linked up with Jamerson II straight out of the under-16 minute media timeout, sending a perfectly placed lob to the rim for him to slam home.
• Arizona State pulled away as the first half progressed, claiming an early 26-17 lead with a handful of threes.
• Hayes earned USD's first four-point play of the year with seven minutes remaining in the opening period, connecting through contact on a three-pointer to cut the ASU lead down to five at 26-21. 
• San Diego fell back behind by as many as 11 as the frame wound down, but trailed by single digits (36-28) at halftime after Jimmy Oladokun Jr. hammered a clutch slam dunk.
• A flurry of threes from Turner kept USD within striking distance as the second half got underway, and with 10 minutes remaining San Diego was behind by only one point at 55-54.
• A dunk from Jamerson II, another three from Turner, and a layup from McKinney Jr. then fueled a late 13-0 USD run, giving the Toreros their first lead since early in the first quarter. 
• Arizona State battled back and tied the score at 83 with one minute to go, but a pair of free throws from Hayes pushed San Diego back in front. 
• Patton Jr. stepped up and sealed the win in the game's final seconds with a wild inbound play on the baseline, bouncing the ball off the back of an unsuspecting Arizona State defender before grabbing it again and making a clutch layup to give San Diego a two-possession lead it did not relinquish. 

TORERO TIDBITS

• Hayes turned in the finest performance of his San Diego career to date, knocking down five three-pointers and making six of his seven free throws while grabbing six rebounds and recording a block, an assist, and a steal. 
• Turner also put together a career-best performance, notching 23 points of his own while pulling in five rebounds and dishing out five assists.
• McKinney III continued his consistency on Saturday night, scoring in double figures for the seventh time this season alongside seven rebounds and four assists.
• Jamerson II helped USD earn a 42-32 advantage on points in the paint, adding 10 points while pulling in nine rebounds.
• San Diego outscored Arizona State 61-48 in the second half and scored 13 unanswered points across three-plus minutes down the stretch (from 6:18 remaining in the second half to 3:44 remaining in the second half) to earn the win.
• USD was 9-for-17 (53%) from beyond the arc in the second half and was 12-for-29 shooting threes (41%) on the night.
• The Toreros are now 6-0 in the Jenny Craig Pavilion this season, and Saturday's attendance of 1,102 marked USD's largest home crowd of the 2023-2024 season so far.

THEY SAID IT: HEAD COACH STEVE LAVIN POSTGAME - CLICK HERE FOR FULL POSTGAME INTERVIEWS

• "It was a home court advantage here at the JCP. Those fans brought their A-game…it helped lift our players. I thought the fans tonight really provided us with some fuel, some incentive, some encouragement, and that went a long way."
• "It definitely will be one of the most significant, meaningful, memorable wins in my career — because of what we're building...To see the team and the joy in that locker room is really what led to me returning to coaching."

UP NEXT

San Diego is back in action on Friday night, when it continues its six-game homestand by hosting Portland State. Tip-off against the Vikings in the Jenny Craig Pavilion is set for 7:00 p.m.