STOCKTON, Calif. — Career-best performances from both Wayne McKinney III and Steven Jamerson II on Saturday night led San Diego men's basketball (15-11, 5-6 WCC) to a comeback victory over Pacific (6-20, 0-11 WCC), earning the Toreros their fifth win in their last six games as they rallied to overcome an early 13-point deficit and prevail by an 89-84 margin at the Alex G. Spanos Center.

USD was down 26-13 midway through the first half but responded with a flurry of points as the opening period wound to a close, and took its first lead of the game with 1:40 remaining. Minutes later, the Toreros went into halftime with a 45-43 advantage, and they didn't trail again.

McKinney III, a junior guard who attended nearby Coronado High School, seized control of the game as he set forth his finest effort as a Torero thus far, totaling a career-high 31 points while going 7-for-13 from the field, 2-for-3 from distance, and a strong 15-for-16 from the line.

Jamerson II, a junior center, continued his hot streak by recording his fifth consecutive double-double, doing so with a career-high 22 points on 10-for-13 shooting from the field and a game-high 14 rebounds.

Junior guard Deuce Turner made a game-high four threes enroute to 20 total points, marking his 17th double-digit scoring performance of the season and the sixth time in 2023-2024 that he has tallied 20 points or more.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• The Tigers started Saturday night's game off strong, racing to an early 9-0 lead behind a pair of early free throws, two layups, and a three.
• A dunk from Jamerson II got the Toreros on the board with 16:24 remaining, then a three from Turner made it an eight-point, 15-7 deficit for the Toreros. At the under-16 media timeout, USD trailed 17-7.
• Pacific's lead stretched to as many as 13 as the opening frame got underway before senior guard Deven Dahlke drilled a three with 10:16 remaining to bring it back to 10 at 26-16.
• Three made free throws – two from Jamerson II and one from freshman forward Jimmy Oladokun Jr. — got the Toreros back within seven, 26-19, as the clock ticked inside 8:30.
• Jamerson II followed with a jumper, and at the under-eight media timeout USD was within five points, and trailed only 26-21.
• Threes from junior guard PJ Hayes and Turner kept USD within striking distance, then McKinney III tied the game at 36-36 with a three-point play after driving the length of the court for a contested layup while drawing a foul, and making the ensuing free throw.
• Oladokun Jr. then made a layup with 2:49 left, and San Diego had its first lead of the game, 38-36.
• Seven points from McKinney in the half's final 1:14 followed to put USD up 45-43 at the intermission.
• Layups from Jamerson II, free throws from McKinney III, and a three from Hayes kept San Diego ahead as the second half got underway, and it held a 56-55 advantage at the under-11 media timeout.
• Minutes later, McKinney III drained a clutch three with 10:22 remaining to push USD's lead to four, at 62-58.
• Back-to-back threes and a layup from Turner then gave the Toreros an eight-point, 76-68 lead at the under-four media timeout.
• Pacific got back within five down the stretch, but San Diego made each of its last eight free throws in the game's final minute to seal a 89-84 comeback victory over the Tigers at the Alex G. Spanos Center.

TORERO TIDBITS

• Jamerson II is 41-for-49 (.836) from the field across his last five games, all of which have seen him record double-doubles. He also had a team-high four assists on Saturday night and contributed a block.
• McKinney III is the third San Diego player to score 30 or more points in a game this season (Deuce Turner, PJ Hayes).
• Turner was 6-for-10 from the field against the Tigers, was a perfect 4-for-4 from the line, and added a team-high two steals.
• Oladokun Jr. totaled seven points (3-for-7 FG) and contributed four rebounds and three assists in what marked his best scoring performance in nearly a month.
• Hayes scored six points on a pair of threes and had six rebounds.
• Sophomore guard Emmanuel Callas recorded a block.
• USD's win at Pacific on Saturday night marked the 11th time this season that it has overcome at least a five-point deficit and won, and the seventh time in 2023-2024 that it has overcome a double-digit deficit to earn a victory.
• San Diego committed a season-low nine turnovers against the Tigers.
• USD has now won five of its last six games dating back to January 23, a span that has included wins over Portland (January 23,) Pepperdine (January 27), Santa Clara (February 3), Loyola Marymount (February 7), and Pacific (February 10).  Four of those five wins, including Saturday's victory over the Tigers, have been decided by five points or less.

UP NEXT
The Toreros are back in action next week, when they return home to San Diego to continue West Coast Conference play against Portland.

Tip-off opposite the Pilots at the Jenny Craig Pavilion on Thursday night is set for 7:00 p.m.