PORTLAND, Ore. — San Diego men's basketball (11-10, 1-5 WCC) on Tuesday night used a historic performance from PJ Hayes to earn a remarkable comeback win on the road, erasing a 14-point deficit to beat Portland (7-13, 1-4 WCC) by a 85-81 margin as the junior guard drilled a program-record nine threes at the Chiles Center.

Hayes was 9-for-15 from beyond the arc and 6-for-6 from the free throw line against the Pilots as he racked up a career-high 33 points. His nine three-pointers on Tuesday surpassed the previous San Diego single-game record of eight, set by USD all-time leading scorer Johnny Dee against Maine on December 10, 2011.

The Toreros were down 26-12 midway through the first half but rallied to tie the score at 37-37 before taking a 40-38 advantage into the intermission. USD fell back behind as the second half got underway and trailed for the first 12:39 of the final period before rallying twice to force a pair of ties at 67-67 and 70-70. Clutch threes and free throws down the stretch put San Diego back in front and kept it there for good.

HOW IT HAPPENED 

• San Diego raced to an early 10-4 lead on Tuesday after freshman guard Kevin Patton Jr. opened the scoring with a corner three and Hayes added on with his first triple of the night.
• Portland responded with an 8-0 run to pull ahead for the first time at 12-10, but freshman forward Jimmy Oladokun Jr. answered with a layup to tie the score at 12-12.
• The deadlock was short-lived, as the Pilots surged ahead again with a flurry of threes and built an advantage that eventually swelled to as many as 14.
• A second-chance post jumper from Patton Jr. brought USD back within one, then Hayes made both free throws after Portland committed a flagrant foul with 1:35 remaining to push San Diego in front by a 38-37 margin.
• Two more free throws from junior guard Deuce Turner later on made it a 40-38 game in the Toreros' favor, and they led by the same score at the break.
• The Pilots came out of halftime strong, and opened the second period with a 10-2 run that earned them a six-point, 48-42 lead. A driving layup from McKinney III stopped the bleeding, then Hayes made it a one-possession game with a three.
• USD continued to trail, ultimately doing so for the first 12:39 of the half before McKinney III tied the score again at 62-62 with a three of his own. 
• San Diego and Portland then traded three-pointers enroute to a 65-65 tie as the clock ticked inside seven minutes. The Pilots claimed a brief 67-65 lead 30 seconds later on a turnaround jumper, but Turner nailed a pair of free throws almost immediately after to knot the score at 67-67.
• Freshman guard Dragos Lungu broke the tie with a clutch three, but Portland shot back right away with a three of its own, tying the score once more at 70-70.
• Hayes gave USD a 76-73 lead on his program-record ninth three of the game with 3:02 remaining, and the Toreros didn't trail again. The record-setting shot came after junior center Steven Jamerson II missed a free throw but grabbed his own rebound and fired a perfect pass to Hayes, who was ready and waiting at the top of the arc.

TORERO TIDBITS

• Patton Jr. totaled 14 points on Tuesday, shooting 5-for-9 from the field, 1-for-3 from distance and 3-for-3 from the line as he added six rebounds, four assists, two blocks, and two steals.
• McKinney Jr. added 11 points, going 3-for-5 from the field while making a single three and converting on four of his five free throw attempts.
• Jamerson II contributed 10 points, grabbed a game-high seven rebounds, and blocked two shots.
• USD has now rallied for a win after trailing by double digits on six occasions this year, and has overcome at least a five-point deficit in 10 of its 11 victories so far this season.
• San Diego was 19-for-21 from the line (90%), 27-for-51 (53%), from the field, and 12-for-25 (48%) from beyond the arc against the Pilots. 
• The Toreros made seven of their last nine field goals to end the game.
• USD's win at Portland on Tuesday marked the Toreros' first road win of the season.
• The Toreros' win over the Pilots was also their first West Coast Conference victory of their 2023-2024 campaign.
• USD has now already matched last season's win total (11 wins/31 games) after just 21 contests.

THEY SAID IT
PJ Hayes on USD's win over Portland:

• "We've been working really hard in practice to change our mindset, and to really just dig into what Coach (Lavin) wants us to do. This was a great game to just turn our chemistry on, turn our gameplay around, and just show how good we can be."

PJ Hayes on making a USD-record nine three-pointers:

• "It was fun…I don't think I could ever score this many points without my teammates. The majority of my points are from my teammates…I wouldn't be anywhere without them passing me the ball."

UP NEXT
The Toreros will remain on the road this weekend, traveling to Malibu, California to continue West Coast Conference play against Pepperdine at the Firestone Fieldhouse. Tip-off on Saturday opposite the Waves is set for 5:00 p.m.