SAN DIEGO — After a thrilling victory over Arizona State on Saturday night, San Diego men's basketball (7-4, 0-0 WCC) looks to continue its momentum through finals week, hosting Portland State (8-2, 0-0 Big Sky) as it continues non-conference play in the Jenny Craig Pavilion.

Tip-off against the Vikings on Friday is set for 7:02 p.m. The contest will be streamed live on ESPN+, with Jack Cronin and Braden Surprenant on the call.

Live statistics for all San Diego home games in 2023-2024 will be available on USDToreros.com.

ALL-TIME SERIES AGAINST PORTLAND STATE
• The Toreros are 6-1 against the Vikings all-time.

• San Diego and Portland State's most recent meeting was on March 17, 2018, when USD took down the Vikings 67-64 in the first round of the College Insiders.com Postseason Tournament (C.I.T.) at the Jenny Craig Pavilion behind a clutch, game-winning three from Tyler Williams with one second remaining.

• San Diego is a perfect 4-0 against the Vikings while playing at home in the JCP.

LAST TIME OUT - San Diego Stuns Arizona State, Earns Comeback Win at JCP
• San Diego 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 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.

Notable:
• 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.

A SIGNATURE VICTORY
• Saturday night's win over Arizona State marks the first time San Diego has taken down a Pac-12 or power-five opponent since November 21st, 2018, when it beat Colorado in Boulder by a 70-64 margin.

COMEBACK KIDS
• San Diego has demonstrated considerable resilience early this season, overcoming at least a six-point deficit in all seven of its victories so far this season.

USD has rallied for a win after trailing by double digits on four occasions this year:
• 11/6/23 vs. Sonoma State (Trailed 25-6, won 68-64): 19-point deficit

• 11/17/23 vs. Le Moyne (Trailed 10-0, won 80-71): 10-point deficit

• 11/24/23 vs. Arkansas State (Trailed 52-36, won 71-57): 16-point deficit

• 12/9/23 vs. Arizona State (Trailed 23-11, won 89-84): 12-point deficit

NO PLACE LIKE HOME
• Saturday evening's win over Arizona State marked the Toreros' sixth straight home victory, giving them a perfect 6-0 record in the Jenny Craig Pavilion this season.

• Home wins for USD so far this year include Sonoma State, Jackson State, Le Moyne, Navy, Northern Colorado, and Arizona State.

IT TAKES A VILLAGE
• Depth has been a strength for USD this season, with head coach Steve Lavin utilizing five different starting lineups and nine different second-half starting lineups through 11 games.

• San Diego's second-half starting lineup has been different from its first-half starters on eight occasions this season, with both lineups being the same in only three games so far.

• Of the 13 players who have seen minutes for USD this season, 10 have found themselves in a first or second-half starting lineup.

• Nine different Toreros have accumulated over 100 total minutes in the 2023-2024 campaign, with 10 players averaging 10 or more minutes per game, seven averaging 15 or more, and six averaging 20 or more minutes per game.

PLAYERS TO WATCH
Deuce Turner | Junior | Guard | Bucknell University
• Is San Diego's leading scorer despite coming off the bench, averaging 14.2 points per game and 156 total points so far in 2023-2024

• Twenty-one made three-pointers (.368) this season is tied for the USD lead

• Has recorded double-digit points in nine of the Toreros' first 11 games of the 2023-2024 campaign

• Notched a career-high 23 on December 9 against Arizona State, which was pivotal in the Toreros' win over the Sun Devils

• Transferred to USD in 2022 from Bucknell University in Lewisburg, Pennsylvania after spending time at South Plains College in Levelland, Texas

Wayne McKinney III | Junior | Guard | Coronado High School
• Leads USD in assists (32), steals (18), and made free throws (53)

• Ranks second on the Toreros in points per game at 13.3

• Fifty-three of his 146 total points so far in 2023 have come from the charity stripe and he is shooting 79% from the line

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

Kevin Patton Jr. | Freshman | Guard | Rancho Christian High School
• Leads USD in total rebounds (58), rebounds per game (5.3), and blocks (14)

• Is averaging 8.4 points per game and has four double-digit scoring performances so far in 2023

PJ Hayes | Senior | Forward | Black Hills State University
• Is tied for the USD lead with 21 made three-pointers this season

• Ranks third for the Toreros in total points (102), and points per game (9.3)

• Recorded a career-high in points (23) Saturday night against Arizona State, making five threes to propel San Diego past the Sun Devils.

• Transferred to USD this season from Division II Black Hills State University in South Dakota

Dragos Lungu | Freshman | Guard | Cluj-Napoca, Romania | NBA Global Academy (Australia)
• Ranks third on the USD roster (minimum seven attempts) in field goal percentage (49%)

• Ranks second for the Toreros in assist (25) and fifth in total rebounds (41)

Jimmy Oladokun Jr. | Forward | Sierra Canyon High School
• Ranks second for the Toreros in field goal percentage, shooting 55% from the field so far this season (minimum seven attempts)

• Eighteen offensive rebounds leads USD and his 46 total boards (4.6 RPG) ranks second

• Seven blocks in 2023 ranks third amongst his teammates

YOUTH MOVEMENT
• Six San Diego freshmen (Dragos Lungu, Kevin Patton Jr., Jimmy Oladokun Jr., Keyon Kensie, Santiago Trouet, and Joey Chammaa) made their college debut on November 6th, joined by transfer PJ Hayes, who appeared in his first game as a Torero after spending three seasons at Division II Black Hills State in South Dakota.

• Junior Wayne McKinney III leads the USD roster with 72 Division I appearances, followed by Deuce Turner with 53, Deven Dahlke with 44, Dominic Muncey with 24, Steven Jamerson II with 18, Bendji Pierre with 15, and Neel Beniwal with 12.

YEAR TWO OF THE LAVIN ERA
• 2023-2024 marks head coach Steve Lavin's second season at the helm in San Diego after being hired in April of 2022.

• In 12 full seasons as a head coach, Lavin has accumulated a record of 248-171 (.591) with 10 postseason appearances.

• Prior to arriving at USD, he guided UCLA and St. John's to eight NCAA Tournament appearances in 11 years.

• A staple in college basketball for over three decades, Lavin is the 14th head coach in program history and the Toreros' seventh head coach since USD moved to the NCAA Division I ranks in 1979-80.

• Most recently, Lavin served as a national college basketball broadcaster for Fox Sports and CBS Sports. He previously worked with ESPN, ABC, and the Pac-12 Network.