SAN DIEGO — San Diego men's basketball on Wednesday night fell to Rider in its season opener, 68-67.
The Toreros (0-1, 0-0 WCC) led 35-32 at the half and were ahead 67-66 with 1:38 remaining but could not close out the Broncs (1-1, 0-0 MAAC) to secure the victory at the Jenny Craig Pavilion. A last-second layup in traffic from
Kjay Bradley Jr. — who scored a game-high 24 points in his Division I debut — rattled around the rim before the would-be game-winning shot missed and time expired.
Bradley Jr., a transfer from nearby San Diego City College, was 11-for-19 from the field against Rider. San Marcos native
Kody Clouet added 13 points and four steals in his first game at USD after transferring from Southeastern Oklahoma State as he went 3-for-7 from beyond the arc, and sophomore
David Simon contributed 12 points of his own as he played in 36-plus minutes, the most in a single game of his young college career and more than he played in during the 2023-2024 season altogether.
Chasing 27-26 down the stretch in the first half, a pair of free throws from Simon put USD back in front at 28-27, and it didn't trail again in the opening period. A quintet of points from Clouet and two more from Simon in the frame's final three minutes had the Toreros up by five before a last-chance jumper cut their lead down to three at the break.
By the 7:52 mark in the second half San Diego found itself down by eight. A second-chance layup from
Santiago Trouet with 6:26 to go brought USD back within five, then Bradley Jr. scored six points in less than two minutes to whittle the deficit down to just one, punctuating the flurry of baskets with a clutch three that saw him knocked to the ground by a Rider defender. A pair of free throws from Trouet inside of two minutes gave USD its short-lived 67-66 lead that proved to be too little, too late.
NOTABLE
- Trouet headlined the Toreros' rebounding efforts with a game-high 13, including nine on defense.
- Simon tied the game high with a pair of blocks.
UP NEXT
USD is back in action on Friday, when it remains at home in the Jenny Craig Pavilion to host Boston University. Tip-off against the Terriers is set for 7:00 p.m.
