SAN FRANCISCO — After securing its second consecutive road win in dramatic fashion last Saturday at Pepperdine, San Diego men's basketball (12-10, 2-5 WCC) is set to continue West Coast Conference play in the Bay Area this week, traveling to War Memorial Gym for a matchup with San Francisco (16-6, 5-2 WCC).

Tip-off against the Dons on Thursday night is set for 8:00 p.m., and the action will be televised nationally on CBS Sports Network with Rich Waltz and Dan Dickau on the call. Jack Cronin will have the live radio call on USDToreros.com, and live statistics will be available on USFDons.com.

ALL-TIME SERIES AGAINST SAN FRANCISCO
• The Toreros are 41-51 against the Dons all-time, with the two teams' most recent meeting coming earlier this season on January 11, when San Francisco beat San Diego 83-63 in the JCP.

• Junior guard Wayne McKinney III scored a tied-for-game-high 19 points that night, doing so by going 8-for-13 from the field and 2-for-4 from beyond the arc as he matched USF's leading scorer Jonathan Mogba, who also recorded 19 points with 11 rebounds and seven assists. The Dons outscored the Toreros 50-20 in the paint in the teams' first meeting this season as both junior center Steven Jamerson II and freshman forward Jimmy Oladokun Jr. got into foul trouble before Jamerson II fouled out.  

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

LAST TIME OUT: McKinney III's Last-Second Heroics Lift San Diego Over Pepperdine
• San Diego last Saturday evening utilized some late-game heroics to win its second consecutive West Coast Conference game, taking down Pepperdine at the Firestone Fieldhouse by a 69-67 margin after junior guard Wayne McKinney III drilled a clutch go-ahead jumper with just two seconds remaining.

• The Coronado High School graduate took the ball with 21 seconds to go and the score tied at 67-67 and waited until there were just a pair of seconds left on the clock to take his shot, a fadeaway jumper just above the free-throw line that was heavily contested by the Waves' 6-foot-11 forward Jevon Porter. When it went in, USD was up by two, and after Pepperdine failed to get a last-chance shot off, the Toreros had earned back-to-back wins on the road.

• McKinney III's clutch game-winner was preceded by a dominant, career-best performance from junior center Steven Jamerson II, who led the contest with 20 points (10-for-11 FG) and 12 rebounds as he notched his second double-double of the season.

• USD was down by a point at the half but never fell behind by more than two and led the Waves for more than 30 minutes.

How It Happened:
• Pepperdine scored first on Saturday before ties ensued at 4-4, 8-8, 13-13, and 15-15 as Jamerson II kept USD within striking distance with dominant play in the paint.

• Junior guard Deuce Turner put the Toreros ahead 17-15 with a layup halfway through the first half, keying off a San Diego surge that gave it a game-high 10-point, 30-20 lead with 6:20 remaining after Jamerson II punctuated the run with an emphatic dunk.

• The Waves hung tough and crept back in the game as the opening period wound down, pulling within one at the 4:02 mark before pushing ahead on a jumper with just 24 seconds left to take a slim 38-37 advantage into the intermission.

• Jamerson II immediately put USD back in front when the second half got started before back-and-forth play followed.

• USD was ahead for the first half of the second period, but saw its lead vanish when a fastbreak dunk from the Waves tied the score at 54-54 at the 8:41 mark.

• A Pepperdine layup put the home team ahead by one, 65-64 with 2:09 remaining before Turner fired back with a go-ahead lay-up of his own.

• The Waves made a free throw with 1:29 to go to knot the score at 66-66, then McKinney III was fouled with 21 seconds left.

• He made one of two free throws, and Jamerson II immediately fouled after the miss, sending Pepperdine's Jevon Porter to the line.

• Porter missed the first free throw but made the second to tie it one last time, 67-67, and the stage was set for McKinney III's last-chance heroics.

• Freshman guard Kevin Patton Jr. inbounded the ball with 21 seconds remaining to McKinney, who dribbled the length of the court and took all but two seconds off the clock before draining a go-ahead two from just above the free throw line, shooting over the Waves' 6-foot-11 Porter to earn San Diego a hard-fought 69-67 comeback victory in Malibu.

Notable:
• McKinney III totaled 14 points on Saturday while going 4-for-7 from the field and added five rebounds, a block, and a steal.

• Turner had 16 points against the Waves, shooting 6-for-15 from the field while going a perfect 4-for-4 from the line.

• Patton Jr. added 11 points (3-for-9 from the field) and was also a perfect 4-for-4 shooting free throws.

• Jamerson II's 12 rebounds on Saturday are the most by any Torero in a single game so far this season. His 20-point performance earned him the second double-double of his career.

• San Diego out-rebounded Pepperdine 36-30 and held a dominant 46-20 advantage on points in the paint.

• USD has now won two consecutive road games after notching its first true road win of the 2023-2024 season on Tuesday at Portland.

• Saturday night's win marks the Toreros' first victory this season in which they have not trailed by at least five points.

TOP FIVE
Through 22 games in the 2023-2024 season, San Diego ranks among the West Coast Conference's top five teams in the following statistical categories…

• Bench Points per Game: 1st (26.27)

• Fastbreak Points per Game: 2nd (13.86)

• Turnovers Forced Per Game: 2nd (12.64)

• Free Throw Percentage: 2nd (74.9)

• Free Throws Made Per Game: 3rd (13.5)

• Blocks per Game: 4th (3.7)

• Three-Point Percentage: 5th (34.3)

• Rebounds Per Game: 5th (35.59)

LEADING THE WAY
A San Diego player has either achieved or been tied for the game scoring high in seven of the Toreros' last nine contests. Those matchups include...

• December 29, 2023 vs. Fresno State: Deuce Turner, 25 points (game high)

• December 31, 2023 vs. Westcliff: PJ Hayes, 21 points (game high)

• January 4, 2024 vs. Saint Mary's: Deuce Turner, 34 points (game high)

• January 6, 2024 at No. 24 Gonzaga: Deuce Turner, 24 points (game high)

• January 11, 2024 vs. San Francisco: Wayne McKinney III, 19 points (tied for game high)

• January 23, 2024 at Portland: PJ Hayes, 33 points (game high)

• January 27, 2024 at Pepperdine Steven Jamerson II, 20 points (game high)

IT TAKES A VILLAGE
• Depth has been a strength for USD this season, with head coach Steve Lavin utilizing 11 different starting lineups and 16 different second-half starting lineups through 22 games.

• The Toreros lead the WCC and rank 48th nationally with an average of 26.27 bench points per game.

• San Diego's second-half starting lineup has been different from its first-half starters on 11 occasions this season, with both lineups being the same in 11 games so far.

• Of the 15 players who have seen minutes for USD this season, 11 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.

• In total, 15 San Diego players have combined to miss nearly 800 days of practice/competition this season due to injury and/or illness.

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. (three times) and Dragos Lungu (once).

• 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.
• Sophomore Emmanuel Callas played in his first college game on January 4th after missing all of his freshman season due to injury, followed by freshman Josh Hecht's college debut on January 20.

• In total, 10 of the Toreros' 17 players have 22 games of Division I experience or less, and five have appeared in less than 15 college games.

• Junior Wayne McKinney III leads the USD roster with 82 Division I appearances, followed by Deuce Turner with 62, Deven Dahlke with 55, Dominic Muncey with 35, Steven Jamerson II with 29, Bendji Pierre with 16, and Neel Beniwal with 13.

2023-2024 San Diego WCC Freshmen of the Week

• 1/29/24 - Kevin Patton Jr.

• 1/15/24 - Kevin Patton Jr.

• 1/2/24 - Dragos Lungu

• 12/18/23 - Kevin Patton Jr.

COMEBACK KIDS
San Diego has demonstrated considerable resilience this season, overcoming at least a five-point deficit in 10 of its 12 victories so far this season.

USD has rallied for a win after trailing by double digits on six 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

• 1/23/24 at Portland (Trailed 26-12, won 85-81): 14-point deficit

Last Saturday's 69-67 win at Pepperdine was San Diego's first victory so far this season in which it did not have to overcome a deficit of five or more points (the Toreros' biggest deficit that evening was two).

A HISTORIC PERFORMANCE
• PJ Hayes' nine made three-pointers at Portland on January 23 are a San Diego program record.

MOST 3P FIELD GOALS MADE IN A SINGLE GAME - USD HISTORY (since 1986-87):
9  PJ Hayes at Portland 1-23-24
8  Johnny Dee  vs. Maine (12-10-11)
8  Ross DeRogatis  vs. Furman (12-3-05)   
8  Ross DeRogatis  vs. SCU (2-24-05)
8  Mark Manor  vs. Portland (2-27-87)
7  Jase Townsend at Pacific (2-11-2023)
7  Eric Williams Jr. vs. Utah State (11-17-2022)
7  Olin Carter III  vs. Pepperdine (12-30-17)

• Hayes' 33 total points against the Pilots on January 23 are also the seventh-most in a single game in program history.

THIRTY OR MORE POINTS IN A GAME - USD HISTORY:
43  Eric Williams Jr. vs. Utah State (11-17-22)
40* Robert "Pinky" Smith vs. Chapman  (12-9-1972) *Scored 19 field goals (school record) with two free throws
37 Marty Munn vs. Loyola Marymount  (2-27-1988)
37 Mike Whitmarsh  vs. Loyola Marymount (2-26-1983)
36 Andre Laws vs. Washington  (12-1-2001)
35 Doug Harris vs. CS Northridge (2-28-1995)
34 Deuce Turner vs. Saint Mary's (1-4-2023)
34 Jase Townsend at Pacific (2-11-2023)
34 Olin Carter III vs. Bethesda (12-17-2016)
34 Brandon Gay vs. Pepperdine (3-5-2005)
34 Ryan Williams  vs. Sacramento State  (11-24-1995)
33 PJ Hayes at Portland (1-23-2024)
32 Marcellus Earlington at Portland (1-19-2023)

THE DEUCE IS LOOSE
• Junior guard Deuce Turner's 58 total points in two games during the opening week of WCC play 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 (January 4) and a road contest in Spokane (January 6) and made 12 of his 14 total free throws.

• His 34 points that week against Saint Mary's remain tied for the most in a single game by a WCC player this season and are the sixth-most all-time by a San Diego player in a single game.

HOME SWEET HOME
• San Diego is 9-5 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.

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 (14.5), total points (305), assists (62), steals (31), made free throws (85), and double-digit scoring performances (19)

• 14.5 points per game ranks seventh in the WCC

• Seventy-six total rebounds and 62 defensive boards both rank third on the Torero roster

• Eighty-five of his 305 total points so far in 2023-2024 have come from the charity stripe and he is shooting 74% from the line this season

• Drilled a clutch jumper as time expired on January 27 at Pepperdine to push USD to a 69-67 win

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

Steven Jamerson II | Junior | Center | Crespi Carmelite High School
• Set forth a a dominant, career-best performance on January 27 at Pepperdine, leading the contest with 20 points (10-for-11 FG) and 12 rebounds as he notched his second double-double of the season

• Missed USD's first seven games this season due to injury but already leads the Toreros in rebounds per game (7.5) through 13 games played (12 starts)

• Leads USD with 46 offensive rebounds and has grabbed seven rebounds or more in 10 of his last 12 games, including five games with 10-plus rebounds and two with nine

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

• 55.9% field goal percentage leads the USD roster (minimum seven attempts); is averaging 7.5 points per game

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

PJ Hayes | Senior | Forward | Black Hills State University
• Nine made threes on January 23 at Portland are a San Diego program record and are tied for the most made threes in a single game by a West Coast Conference player this season

• Finished with 33 points against the Pilots that evening, which marked a new career high, the second-most in a single game by any WCC player so far this season, and the seventh-most in a single game in USD program history

• Leads USD in three-point percentage (41%, minimum six attempts) and three-pointers per game (2.38).

• 2.38 threes per game also rank third in the WCC

• Fifty made threes this season are the most on the USD roster and the fourth-most in the WCC

• Ranks third for the Toreros in total points (230) and points per game (11)

• Recorded what was then 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

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

Deuce Turner | Junior | Guard | Bucknell University
• Ranks second on USD roster with 14.2 points per game; 36 made threes are second-most for Toreros

• Has recorded double-digit points in 14 of his first 20 games this season

• Scored 34 points (11-18 FG, 4-7 3P, 8-9 FT) on January 4 against Saint Mary's, which is tied for the most in a single game by any WCC player this year, the sixth-most in a single game in San Diego history, and was 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

Kevin Patton Jr. | Freshman | Guard | Rancho Christian High School
• Reigning/three-time WCC Freshman of the Week (January 29, 2024, January 15, 2024, and December 18, 2023)

• Has notched double-digit points in five of his last six games (a span that at one point included three straight 16-point performances)

• Leads USD in defensive rebounds (87); ranks second for Toreros in total rebounds (108) and rebounds per game (4.9)

• Is averaging 9.5 points per game (ranks fourth on the USD roster) and has 10 double-digit scoring performances so far in 2023-2024

Jimmy Oladokun Jr. | Forward | Sierra Canyon High School
• Ranks second for the Toreros in field goal percentage so far this season, shooting 46.8% (minimum seven attempts)

• Thirty-three offensive rebounds also rank second for USD and his 71 total boards (3.6 RPG) rank fourth

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