SAN DIEGO — After putting together its best non-conference start since 2018 and winning nine of its first 10 home games this season, San Diego men's basketball (10-5, 0-0 WCC) is set to begin West Coast Conference play on Thursday night by hosting Saint Mary's (9-6, 0-0 WCC) in the Jenny Craig Pavilion.

Tip-off against the Gaels is set for 8:05 p.m., and the matchup will be televised nationally on CBS Sports Network with Rich Waltz, Dan Dickau, and Darren Collison on the call.

Jack Cronin (play-by-play) and Braden Surprenant (analyst) will have the live radio call alongside live statistics on USDToreros.com.

With a win over SMC on Thursday, San Diego would equal its win total from the 2022-2023 season (11).

ALL-TIME SERIES AGAINST SAINT MARY'S
• The Toreros are 36-59 against the Gaels all-time, with the two teams' most recent meeting coming last February 16, when a remarkable San Diego comeback fell just short and USD dropped a close 62-59 decision to then-No. 17 Saint Mary's at the Jenny Craig Pavilion.

• San Diego trailed by 23 with 11:55 remaining that evening, and outscored the Gaels 24-4 the rest of the way. Saint Mary's was held off the board over the final 7:05.

• Wayne McKinney III registered nine points, four assists, and three steals and Steven Jamerson II ended with eight points (4-for-4 FG), six rebounds, a block, and a steal while posting a team-best +12 plus-minus.

• USD last defeated SMC on January 30, 2014, when it beat the Gaels 61-43 in the JCP.

LAST TIME OUT - Hayes Leads Toreros Past Westcliff At The Jenny Craig Pavilion
• San Diego on Sunday afternoon wrapped up its non-conference schedule with a 78-65 win over NAIA Westcliff University at the Jenny Craig Pavilion, doing so behind a game-high 21 points from PJ Hayes.

• The junior forward was 7-for-12 from the field and shot 50% (5-for-10) from beyond the arc as he set forth his best scoring performance in nearly a month.

• USD's New Year's Eve victory over the Warriors moved it to 9-1 at home this season.

How It Happened:
• The Toreros started Sunday's game off strong, opening up the contest with a 8-0 run that was fueled by a pair of threes from Hayes.

• Westcliff answered back and tied the score at 15-15 early on but key baskets from freshman guards Keyon Kensie and Kevin Patton Jr. and Hayes powered an three-plus-minute 11-0 run that put the Toreros back ahead by a 26-15 margin at the first half's under-eight media timeout.

• USD's lead dwindled to three with 3:17 remaining before it surged ahead with a lengthy run once again, this time scoring 10 straight points — including a pair of layups from junior guard Dominic Muncey — to take a 15-point, 42-27 advantage into the intermission.

• Westcliff cut San Diego's lead to just two at the halfway point in the second period, but the Toreros regrouped and stayed ahead of the Warriors with back-to-back-to-back buckets from Dragos Lungu that moved the score to 57-51 in the home team's favor.

• Junior center Steven Jamerson II followed with a dunk, and as the clock ticked inside nine minutes USD was in front by a 59-51 margin.

• Baskets from Hayes, Lungu, and junior guard Wayne McKinney III pushed the USD lead back to double-digits at the 5:24 mark, then PJ Hayes drained a three coming out of a Torero timeout to make it 68-55.

• The Toreros held Westcliff scoreless for more than four minutes as the half wound down, culminating in a 72-63 San Diego lead when the Warriors called a timeout with 1:58 remaining.

• USD made all eight of its free throws in the second half — including six straight in the game's final minute — to seal the 78-65 victory.

Notable:
• Lungu added 13 points while grabbing seven rebounds and dishing out a pair of assists.

• McKinney III totaled 10 points, seven rebounds, and five assists.

• Jamerson II pulled down a game-high 10 rebounds and chipped in eight points, an assist, and two steals.

• San Diego out-rebounded Westcliff 46-36.

HOME SWEET HOME
• San Diego is 9-1 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

WINNING THE CLOSE ONES
• The Toreros are 5-1 in games decided by five points or less so far this season.

USD's five victories in those close matchups include…

• 11/6/23 vs. Sonoma State - 68-64

• 11/29/23 vs. Northern Colorado - 74-72

• 12/9/23 vs. Arizona State - 89-84

• 12/15/23 vs. Portland State - 69-65

• 12/21/23 vs. South Dakota - 69-66

IT TAKES A VILLAGE
• Depth has been a strength for USD this season, with head coach Steve Lavin utilizing seven different starting lineups and 12 different second-half starting lineups through 15 games.

• 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 five 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 seven averaging 20 or more.

LUNGU NAMED WCC FRESHMAN OF THE WEEK
• First-year guard Dragos Lungu was named the WCC Freshman of the Week for January 2, the West Coast Conference announced on Tuesday afternoon.

• Lungu picked up 13 points during San Diego's New Year's Eve win over Westcliff. He also grabbed seven rebounds and collected two assists. Across two games for the Toreros last week he totaled 15 points, eight rebounds, two blocks, two assists and a steal.

• This is the second time in three weeks a Torero has won the league's weekly freshman honor after Kevin Patton Jr. earned the nod back on December 18.

YOUTH MOVEMENT
• Among freshmen in the WCC, three of the top five scorers are Toreros, led by the reigning Credit Union 1 WCC Freshman of the Week Dragos Lungu (8.3 ppg), Patton Jr. (8.0 ppg) and Jimmy Oladokun Jr. (7.0 ppg).

• 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, eight of the Toreros' 17 players have 15 games of Division I experience or less.

• Junior Wayne McKinney III leads the USD roster with 76 Division I appearances, followed by Deuce Turner with 56, Deven Dahlke with 48, Dominic Muncey with 28, Steven Jamerson II with 22, Bendji Pierre with 15, and Neel Beniwal with 12.

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
Wayne McKinney III | Junior | Guard | Coronado High School
• Leads USD in points per game (14.6), assists (46), steals (23), and made free throws (69)

• 14.6 points per game entering this week's action ranks fifth in the WCC

• Sixty-nine of his 219 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

Deuce Turner | Junior | Guard | Bucknell University
• Ranks second for San Diego with 27 made three pointers so far this season

• 13.9 points per game and 194 total points in 2023-2024 both rank second on the USD roster

• Has recorded double-digit points in 11 of his first 14 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

PJ Hayes | Senior | Forward | Black Hills State University
• Leads USD with 30 made three-pointers so far this season, which ranks fifth in the WCC

• 2.1 three-pointers per game entering this week's action is the third-most in the conference

• Ranks third for the Toreros in total points (143) and points per game (10.2)

• 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

Kevin Patton Jr. | Freshman | Guard | Rancho Christian High School
• Leads the WCC with 22 total blocks and 1.5 blocks per game so far this season

• Leads USD in total rebounds (74) and ranks second in rebounds per game (4.9)

• Is averaging 8.1 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.

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 (7.5) through seven games played (five starts)

• Has four 10-rebound performances since December 9 and his 9.8 RPG tops the WCC during that span    

• Has the third-highest field goal percentage on the Torero roster (47%) and is averaging 5.8 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
• Leads the Toreros in field goal percentage so far this season, shooting 50% (minimum seven attempts)

• Twenty-four offensive rebounds lead USD and his 56 total boards (4.3 RPG) rank second

• 10 blocks in 2023 rank third amongst his teammates