steven jamerson II
66
South Dakota SD 7-6,0-0 Summit League
69
Winner San Diego SD 9-4,0-0 WCC
South Dakota SD
7-6,0-0 Summit League
66
Final
69
San Diego SD
9-4,0-0 WCC
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
South Dakota SD 37 29 66
San Diego SD 37 32 69

Game Recap: Men's Basketball |

Men's Basketball Beats Coyotes To Earn Eighth Straight Home Win

Toreros remain undefeated in the Jenny Craig Pavilion this season after 69-66 victory over South Dakota on Thursday night

SAN DIEGO — San Diego men's basketball on Thursday night used a pair of lengthy scoring runs to fuel another yet another comeback victory, catching fire down the stretch to take down South Dakota by a 69-66 margin in the Jenny Craig Pavilion. 

Despite staring down a 14-point deficit in the first half and trailing by 12 in the second, the Toreros (9-4, 0-0 WCC) were able to turn things around with their defense, recording seven blocks while forcing the Coyotes (7-6, 0-0 Summit League) to commit 14 turnovers, which led to 15 San Diego points. 

Led by junior guard Wayne McKinney III (19 points), three San Diego players scored in double figures on Thursday. Junior forward PJ Hayes recorded 14 points while shooting 4-for-6 from beyond the arc and freshman forward Jimmy Oladokun Jr. added a dozen points off the bench. 

With the win, USD remains undefeated in the JCP this season. San Diego's 8-0 record at home so far in 2023-2024 is its best start to a home schedule since the 2018-2019 campaign, which saw the Toreros win each of their first nine home contests. 

HOW IT HAPPENED
  • After junior guard Dominic Muncey made a three-pointer in the corner to begin the scoring, South Dakota went on a 9-0 run that lasted more than two minutes before Hayes ended the run with a three-pointer in transition. 
  • After being down by a baker's dozen with 8:39 remaining in the first half, the Toreros went on a 16-2 run that lasted seven minutes to take its first lead since Muncey's early three.
  • San Diego finished out the first half strong, holding the Coyotes scoreless from the field for the period's final 8:39.
  • McKinney III and junior center Steven Jamerson II each had eight points through the first 20 minutes of play to lead the Toreros, and Jamerson II notched eight rebounds before halftime.
  • The Coyotes' lead once again reached double digits early in the second half, but junior guard Deuce Turner nailed a corner three to cut the lead down to seven with 12:11 remaining. 
  • That kickstarted a 20-3 Torero run and gave USD its largest lead of the night: a seven-point 61-54 advantage with 6:56 left in the game. 
  • Freshman guard Kevin Patton Jr. — who recorded a game-high three blocks — got a big block with 36 seconds left to preserve the Toreros' four-point lead. 
  • McKinney III made two clutch free throws with five seconds left to make it a two-possession game and seal the San Diego victory. 
TORERO TIDBITS
  • McKinney III led the Toreros with 19 points and five rebounds, and did not commit a turnover. 
  • Hayes scored 14 points on Thursday and was 4-for-6 shooting threes after missing a game due to injury, marking his third straight double-digit scoring performance. He is now shooting 42.6% from beyond the arc this season.
  • Jamerson II led USD with 10 rebounds, which marked his second straight game with at least 10 boards and his third consecutive game with at least nine rebounds.
  • The Toreros outscored the Coyotes in the paint by a 34-26 margin. 
  • Thursday night's victory marked the fifth time this season that the Toreros have been down by double digits (14 points) and come back to win. The last time USD won after facing a 10-plus point deficit was on December 9 against Arizona State.  
  • San Diego is now 5-1 when three of its players score in double figures, and is now 4-1 when holding its opponent to under 70 points. 
  • Thursday night marked the first time this season that San Diego has been tied with its opponent at the half. USD led the Coyotes for just 9:50.
THEY SAID IT
  • Head Coach Steve Lavin on going on two long runs to fuel the comeback: 
    • "(I told the players), let's own who we are, which is the comeback kids. And this is what we do. We're going to keep working on getting off to better starts but in the meantime, let's do what we've done before. Next media timeout, let's chip away and get it down to a couple possessions the next media timeout, let's tie it up." 
  • Wayne McKinney III on the San Diego bench stepping up and out-scoring South Dakota's bench 22-4: 
    • "The depth of this team is outstanding. We have a bunch of guys who love to just go and play for each other...we can bring anybody off the bench, it doesn't matter. They come in, get buckets, get stops and do whatever we need for us to win. That's really important for us."
  • PJ Hayes on remaining undefeated at home: 
    • "The energy is great. We got a bunch of guys who just want to win. In practice, we push each other, we work hard. Light blue, navy teams, we just go at it, go at each other, everybody on the squad. We all just want to play hard and just get it done. That's all we care about. So I think that plays into our 8-0 record at home."
UP NEXT
The Toreros are back in action next Friday (December 29), when they continue their six-game holiday homestand by hosting Fresno State. Tip-off against the Bulldogs in the Jenny Craig Pavilion is set for 7 p.m.
 
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