SAN DIEGO — Winners of three straight games and each of its first eight home contests so far this season, San Diego men's basketball (9-4, 0-0 WCC) will continue its holiday homestand this week by hosting Fresno State (6-6, 0-0 Mountain West) on Friday night in the Jenny Craig Pavilion.

Tip-off against the Bulldogs is set for 7:02 p.m.

Friday night's matchup 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 FRESNO STATE
• The Toreros are 3-9 against the Bulldogs all-time, with the two teams' most recent meeting coming on December 1, 2021, a tough 63-43 USD loss in Fresno.

• San Diego last hosted Fresno State on November 12, 2019, when it beat the Bulldogs by a 72-66 margin in the Jenny Craig Pavilion.

LAST TIME OUT - Toreros Beat Coyotes  at JCP To Earn Eighth Straight Home Win
• San Diego last 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 were able to turn things around with their defense, recording seven blocks while forcing the Coyotes 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. 

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. 

• USD was down by a baker's dozen with 8:39 remaining in the first half but went on a seven-minute, 16-2 run 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. 

Notable:
• McKinney III led the Toreros with 19 points and five rebounds, and did not commit a turnover. 

• Hayes scored 14 points against South Dakota 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."

HOME SWEET HOME
• 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. 

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

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

USD has rallied for a win after trailing by double digits on five 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

• 12/21/23 vs. South Dakota (Trailed 26-12, won 69-66): 14-point deficit

IT TAKES A VILLAGE
• Depth has been a strength for USD this season, with head coach Steve Lavin utilizing seven different starting lineups and 11 different second-half starting lineups through 13 games.

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

• Eleven 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 seven averaging 20 or more.

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.

• In total, nine of the Toreros' 17 players have 13 games of Division I experience or less.

• Junior Wayne McKinney III leads the USD roster with 74 Division I appearances, followed by Deuce Turner with 54, Deven Dahlke with 45, Dominic Muncey with 25, Steven Jamerson II with 19, Bendji Pierre with 15, and Neel Beniwal with 12.

A SIGNATURE VICTORY
• The Toreros' victory over Arizona State on December 9th 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.

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.

PLAYERS TO WATCH
Kevin Patton Jr. | Freshman | Guard | Rancho Christian High School
• Leads USD in total rebounds (68), and blocks (19), and ranks second in rebounds per game (5.2)

• Is averaging 8.8 points per game and has five double-digit scoring performances so far in 2023

• Was named WCC Freshman of the Week for December 18, after accumulating 14 points, five rebounds, two blocks, two assists, and a steal in San Diego's victory over Portland State.

Wayne McKinney III | Junior | Guard | Coronado High School
• Leads USD in points per game (14.4), assists (39), steals (21), and made free throws (65)

• Sixty-five of his 187 total points so far in 2023 have come from the charity stripe and he is shooting 77% from the line this season.

• 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 25 made three-pointers so far this season

• Ranks fourth for the Toreros in total points (116), and third in points per game (9.7)

• Recorded a career-high in points (23) on December 9th against Arizona State, making five threes to help propel San Diego past the Sun Devils

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

Steven Jamerson II | Junior | Center | Crespi Carmelite High School
• Has seen a gradual increase in minutes after returning from a preseason injury, and already leads USD in rebounds per game (6.7) through five games played

• Has the second-highest field goal percentage on the Torero roster (50%) and is averaging 6.3 points per game.

• Earned his first college double-double on December 15 against Portland State, notching 10 points while pulling in 10 rebounds

Deuce Turner | Junior | Guard | Bucknell University
• Is San Diego's second-highest scorer despite coming off the bench, averaging 13 points per game while totaling 169 points so far in 2023-2024

• Twenty-four made three-pointers (.348) ranks second on the USD roster

• Has recorded double-digit points in 10 of the Toreros' first 13 games this season

• Also recorded a career high in points (23) against Arizona State, and 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

Jimmy Oladokun Jr. | Forward | Sierra Canyon High School
• Leads the Toreros in field goal percentage, shooting 51% so far this season (minimum seven attempts)

• Twenty-one offensive rebounds leads USD and his 52 total boards (4.3 RPG) rank third

• Nine blocks in 2023 rank third amongst his teammates