SAN DIEGO — After embarking on its first West Coast Conference road trip of the 2023-2024 season last weekend, San Diego men's basketball (10-7, 0-2 WCC) is back home this week to kick off a two-game homestand with a matchup against San Francisco (12-4, 1-0 WCC).

Tip-off opposite the Dons on Thursday night is set for 7:02 p.m., and the action will be streamed live on ESPN+ with Jack Cronin and Braden Surprenant on the call.

Live statistics will be available on USDToreros.com.

ALL-TIME SERIES AGAINST SAN FRANCISCO
• The Toreros are 41-50 against the Dons all-time, with the two teams' most recent meeting coming last January 28, when San Diego dropped a 94-81 decision to San Francisco at the JCP.

• USD last defeated USF on December 31, 2022, when it earned a 80-68 win at War Memorial Gym.

• San Diego last beat San Francisco at the JCP on January 26, 2019, when it took down the Dons by a 67-73 margin.

LAST TIME OUT - Turner Shines Again as Toreros Fall at #24 Gonzaga
• Three Toreros scored in double figures on Saturday night in Spokane, but a dominant offensive effort from No. 24 Gonzaga proved to be too much for San Diego, dealing it a tough 101-74 defeat before a sold-out crowd of 6,000 at the McCarthey Athletic Center.

• Junior guard Deuce Turner headlined San Diego's scoring efforts for a second consecutive contest, racking up a game-high 24 points by making eight of his 15 shots from the field, four of his seven three-point attempts, and four of his five free throws.

• Freshman guard Kevin Patton Jr. drained a pair of threes enroute to 16 total points, which were one shy of his career high.

• Junior center Steven Jamerson II set a new career high with 12 points, and was a rebound shy of his second double-double of the 2023-2024 season.

• USD was again undone by turnovers, committing 19 of them on Saturday that led to 27 points for the Zags.

How It Happened:
• Gonzaga struck first on Saturday night to take an early 4-0 lead, but a three from Turner tied the score at 10-10 with 16:34 remaining in the first half.

• After falling back behind, another three — this time from junior guard PJ Hayes — pulled USD back within a point at 14-13.

• The Bulldogs responded with a lengthy 11-0 run, and led by 16 at the opening period's under-four media timeout.

• San Diego closed the half with back-to-back baskets (a jumper from Turner and a dunk from Jamerson II) but trailed by a 55-35 margin at the intermission.

• Turner scored 11 points in the first six minutes of the second half before Gonzaga pulled away late and took its largest lead of the night (30 points) with 8:09 remaining in the game.

Notable:
• Jamerson II recorded nine rebounds on Saturday and tied the game high with a pair of blocks.

• He has totaled eight or more rebounds in each of the Toreros' last seven games, including four consecutive contests with 10 boards from December 15 to December 31.

• Patton Jr. was 7-for-10 from the field and 2-for-3 from beyond the arc while grabbing five rebounds.

• His 16 points against Gonzaga are the second-most in a single game of his college career.

• Freshman guard Keyon Kensie totaled four points while going 2-for-2 from the line and led USD with two steals.

• Junior guard Wayne McKinney III was scratched prior to the game due to injury.

• San Diego opened up its conference schedule by playing the teams picked to finish first (Saint Mary's) and second (Gonzaga) in the 2023-2024 WCC Men's Basketball Preseason Coaches Poll.

THE DEUCE IS LOOSE
• Junior guard Deuce Turner's 58 total points in two games last week against Saint Mary's and No. 24 Gonzaga were the most of any player in the West Coast Conference in that span.

• He shot 57% from both the field (19-for-33) and beyond the arc (12-for-14) across a home matchup with the Gaels and a road contest in Spokane and made 12 of his 14 free throws.

HOME SWEET HOME
• San Diego is 9-2 at the Jenny Craig Pavilion so far this season, and has notched home wins over Sonoma State, Jackson State, Le Moyne, Navy, Northern Colorado, Arizona State, Portland State, South Dakota, and Westcliff.

• USD's 8-0 start to its home schedule this year was its best since the 2018-2019 campaign, which saw the Toreros win each of their first nine home contests.

COMEBACK KIDS
• San Diego demonstrated considerable resilience during non-conference play, overcoming at least a five-point deficit in nine of its 10 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 eight different starting lineups and 13 different second-half starting lineups through 17 games.

• The Toreros lead the WCC and rank 33rd nationally with an average of 28.88 bench points per game.

• San Diego's second-half starting lineup has been different from its first-half starters on 10 occasions this season, with both lineups being the same in only seven 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 and six averaging 20 or more.

YOUTH MOVEMENT
• San Diego's 2023-2024 roster features eight true freshmen and one Division II transfer.

• Of those eight first-year players, two have already been named the WCC Freshman of the Week: guards Kevin Patton Jr. and Dragos Lungu.

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

• In total, nine of the Toreros' 17 players have 17 games of Division I experience or less, and six have appeared in less than 15 college games.

• Junior Wayne McKinney III leads the USD roster with 77 Division I appearances, followed by Deuce Turner with 58, Deven Dahlke with 50, Dominic Muncey with 30, Steven Jamerson II with 24, Bendji Pierre with 16, and Neel Beniwal with 13.

A SIGNATURE VICTORY
• The Toreros' win 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
Deuce Turner | Junior | Guard | Bucknell University
• Leads USD with 15.8 points per game, 252 total points, and 35 made threes this season

• Ranks second in the WCC in made threes (35) and three-pointers per game (2.19); 15.8 points per game and 252 total points both rank fifth in the conference

• Has recorded double-digit points in 13 of his first 16 games this season

• Scored 34 points (11-18 FG, 4-7 3P, 8-9 FT) on January 4 against Saint Mary's, which is the eighth-most in a single game in San Diego history and is the Toreros' most in a game since November 17, 2022, when graduate transfer Eric Williams Jr. scored 43 against Utah State and broke the previous USD record of 40 that dated back to 1972

• Had a game-high 24 points (8-15 FG, 4-7 3P, 4-5 FT) at No. 24 Gonzaga on January 6

• Also recorded 23 points on December 9 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

Wayne McKinney III | Junior | Guard | Coronado High School
• Leads USD in assists (48), steals (26), made free throws (70), and double-digit scoring performances (14)

• 231 total points and 14.4 points per game both rank second on San Diego roster and are seventh and eighth in the WCC, respectively

• Sixty-two total rebounds are USD's fourth-most and his 51 defensive boards rank second for the Toreros

• Seventy of his 231 total points so far in 2023-2024 have come from the charity stripe and he is shooting 77% from the line this season

• Set a new career high with 22 points against Fresno State on December 29

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

PJ Hayes | Senior | Forward | Black Hills State University
• Thirty-four made three-pointers this season rank second for USD and sixth in the WCC

• 2.12 three-pointers per game entering this week's action are the fourth-most in the conference

• Ranks third for the Toreros in total points (164) and points per game (10.3)

• Recorded a career-high in points (23) on December 9 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

Kevin Patton Jr. | Freshman | Guard | Rancho Christian High School
• Leads the WCC and ranks 60th nationally with 25 blocks and 1.47 blocks per game so far this season

• Leads USD in both total rebounds (81) and defensive rebounds (63); ranks second in rebounds per game (4.8)

• Is averaging 8.6 points per game (ranks fourth on the USD roster) and has six double-digit scoring performances so far in 2023

• Was one point shy of his season high on January 6 at No. 24 Gonzaga, racking up 16 points at the McCarthey Athletic Center while going 7-for-10 from the field and 2-for-3 from beyond the arc

• 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

Steven Jamerson II | Junior | Center | Crespi Carmelite High School
• Missed USD's first seven games this season due to injury but already leads the Toreros in rebounds per game (7.7) through eight games played (seven starts)

• Leads USD with 33 offensive rebounds and has grabbed eight rebounds or more in each of his last seven games, including four games with 10 rebounds and two with nine

• Totaled a career-high 13 points on January 6 at No. 24 Gonzaga and was one board shy of a double-double

• Leads San Diego in field goal percentage with a 49% field goal percentage (minimum seven attempts) and is averaging 6.1 points per game

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

Jimmy Oladokun Jr. | Forward | Sierra Canyon High School
• Ranks second for the Toreros in field goal percentage so far this season, shooting 48% (minimum seven attempts)

• Twenty-nine offensive rebounds rank second for USD and his 63 total boards (4.2 RPG) rank third

• Thirteen blocks in 2023-2024 season rank second among his teammates