SAN DIEGO – Returning home for the first time since the season opener, the San Diego women's basketball (2-3, 0-0 WCC) dropped their matchup with Omaha (3-4, 0-0 Summit) by a 70-66 final score on Friday afternoon at Jenny Craig Pavilion. 

HOW IT HAPPENED

• Returning to their home floor for the first time in 23 days, the Toreros got off to a slow start offensively but picked it up following the first media timeout. 
• Lauren McCall came away with a steal and took it the other way for a layup to get USD on the board, and Hallie Rhodes followed that up with a layup of her own to get the Mavericks' lead down to two. 
• McCall wasn't done leaving an imprint on the start of the game as she made a great move to get around the defense and even the score at 16 following the first 10 minutes of play.
• Omaha scored the first point of the second quarter as they split free throws, while Malia Tharpe made a layup to put San Diego up 18-17. 
• After the Mavericks built a seven point lead, the Toreros started to claw back as H. Rhodes made another layup and Claire Gallagher knocked down a free throw to cut the lead down to four.
• San Diego scored their final points of the first half on a Courtney Wristen paint jumper as the Toreros trailed at the break 33-29.
• Looking to take over to start the second half, Kylie Horstmeyer scored the first four points for USD to even the game at 33 apiece.
• Building on San Diego's lead midway through the third quarter, Ava Ranson and Wristen each knocked down jump shots to put USD ahead 49-44.
• The Toreros entered the final 10 minutes of play with a 49-46 lead. 
• Omaha scored the first five points of the quarter before Ranson delivered in the clutch with a jump shot that evened the score at 51.
• Truitt Reilly played a huge role in the final quarter as she scored all five of her points for the game and gave her team the lead two separate times in the fourth quarter.
• The Mavericks would control the remaining minutes as they earned the 70-66 road victory in the first game of the 2024 Thanksgiving Classic. 

TORERO TIDBITS

• Recording her first double-double of the season, Wristen scored 11 points and grabbed a career-best 13 rebounds against the Mavericks.
• Scoring at an efficient clip despite playing a lot of minutes, Horstmeyer scored a game-high 16 points and went 6-for-6 from the free throw line to go along with a pair of rebounds and steals. 
• Providing a spark off the bench, H. Rhodes scored a season-best 12 points and grabbed five boards in 25 minutes of action against Omaha. 

NEXT UP
San Diego has a quick turnaround as they'll be back in action tomorrow, Nov. 30 for a 4:00 p.m. tip-off against Alabama A&M. Live video and live statistics links can be found on the team's website.