SAN DIEGO — Double-digit points from four different Toreros on Thursday night secured San Diego men's basketball its fourth consecutive West Coast Conference win, a hard-fought 71-66 decision that saw USD (16-11, 6-6 WCC) erase a 13-point deficit to prevail against Portland (9-18, 3-9 WCC) at the Jenny Craig Pavilion.

The Toreros went 11-for-12 from the free throw line — including a perfect 8-for-8 over the game's final 1:41 — to complete their remarkable comeback over the Pilots, which marks the eighth time this season that USD has overcome a double-digit deficit and won.

Portland stretched its lead to a game-high 13 with 16:24 left in the second half before San Diego went on a seven-plus-minute 13-0 run to tie the game at 49-49 apiece.
 
Junior guard Deuce Turner scored 14 of his team-high 17 points in the second half and was a perfect 6-for-6 at the free throw line.

USD has now won six of its last seven games and has put together a four-game win streak in WCC play for the first time since the 2012-13 season, when it won its first four games to begin its  conference schedule.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• USD won the tip and after junior forward PJ Hayes recorded a steal, junior center Steven Jamerson II made a hook shot to open the scoring. 
• After the first four minutes of play at the 15:52 mark, San Diego trailed 8-7. Freshman guard Kevin Patton Jr., who returned to the starting lineup for the first time since Loyola February 7, proceeded to record five quick points, including a three-pointer in transition. 
• San Diego immediately regained the lead out of a timeout when junior forward PJ Hayes completed a four-point play following a made three-point basket.    
• With 11:33 left in the first half, the score was all knotted up at 18-18. Jamerson II, who had six points to lead USD, was a perfect 3-for-3 from the field with two hook shots and a dunk. 
• The Pilots followed with a quick 7-0 run that took 63 seconds off the clock, forcing a Torero timeout. 
• USD ended what would ultimately be a 9-0 Portland run with a layup from senior guard Deven Dahlke. 
• With 6:36 left in the first half, Portland led 31-24.
• At the 3:42 mark and the final media timeout of the first half, San Diego trailed 36-28 as they prevented the Pilots from recording a field goal for nearly four minutes.
• Going into the intermission, Portland led 38-30. Jamerson II led the way for USD with eight points on 4-of-5 shooting, to go along with two rebounds and a block.  
• Hayes got hot to start the second half, making all three of his shots from beyond the arc as San Diego's deficit was 10, 49-39 with 15:47 remaining. Hayes, who made a program-record nine threes at Portland last month, had been perfect from long range (4-for-4) up to that point.
• The Toreros got the crowd going with an 8-0 run to get within five, 49-44 with 12:39 left. Hayes and freshman guard Dragos Lungu each made three-pointers and Patton Jr. recorded a steal and layup in the fastbreak. 
• That run reached 10-0 heading into the second media timeout of the second half with 11:23 left as McKinney III recorded a fadeaway jumper.
• USD ultimately made it a 13-0 run that lasted 7:27 to tie the game at 49-49 with 8:57 left. 
• Portland followed with a brief 5-0 run, but San Diego responded with a 9-2 run of its own to take a 58-56 lead with 4:30 left to play, marking its first lead since the 13:01 mark of the first half. 
• San Diego extended its advantage to 63-58 after Turner made a pair of free throws with 1:41 left. 
• With 48.5 seconds remaining, Jamerson II recorded a big offensive rebound and putback to put the Toreros up four, 65-61. 
• Turner continued his success at the charity stripe by making four straight free throws to extend USD's lead to six, 69-63, with 26.4 left. 
• After Portland made a three to regain its one-possession deficit with 11.6 seconds left, Patton Jr. made both of his ensuing free throws to secure his team a five-point victory. 

TORERO TIDBITS 

• Patton Jr., who recorded 13 points on Thursday night, tied a career-high with four steals. 
• Jamerson II's streak of five straight games with a double-double came to an end, but he notched a career-high four blocks.
• McKinney III's five assists against the Pilots mark the fifth time this season that he has totaled at least five assists and the second time he has done so in the Toreros' last three games. 
• Hayes scored 14 points on 4-of-6 shooting from three-point range and Jamerson II logged 10 points while going 5-for-6 from the field.
• Jamerson II is now shooting 46-for-55 (.836) from the field across his last six games.
• USD moves to 6-4 when it has at least four scorers in double figures. 
• San Diego's 11 steals on Thursday are a team season-high. 
• The Toreros' 91.7% free throw percentage (on 11-of-12 shooting) against Portland is a team season-high against Division I competition.
• USD is now 11-5 (.687) at home this season.
• San Diego trailed by 14 and 13 points, respectively, in its two meetings with Portland in 2023-2024  to eventually secure wins in both games and earn a regular-season sweep of the Pilots.
• Five of the Toreros' last six wins — and each of their last three victories — have been decided by five points or less.

THEY SAID IT
Head Coach Steve Lavin on his team's resilience:

• That's a credit to the young men that wear that USD jersey. Their resourcefulness, their ingenuity, they found the energy. Really proud of our team, they kept their poise, they fought back… (This year's team) is as enjoyable a group as we've coached. If I look back through the decades, I've been fortunate to work with some outstanding players and teams over the last 35 years, but this team is as special as any. We're trying to build a 'spaceship', we're in the beginning stages of trying to build a program, and that's what makes it rewarding and gratifying. There were just so many contributors tonight…" 

Head Coach Steve Lavin on the importance of his team's zone defense was in the second half:

• "I thought our zone really was a difference maker because it kept our 'bigs' at home. We had a little more resistance at the rim and we were able to contest their perimeter shots better out of the zone because of our length and our activity.

Junior guard Deuce Turner on his team's ability to erase large deficits:

• "We've been there before. With all respect to (Portland), we've done it against higher competition and against larger leads, and we weren't worried at all. We just knew that we had to turn it on and we were able to do that ...and it was sustainable."  

Junior forward PJ Hayes on the ability of his teammates – Deuce Turner and Kevin Patton Jr. – to make clutch free throws down the stretch:

• "If it's a close game, the time is coming down, I have utmost faith in anything (Deuce) does. Any shot, any free throws, I know those are going in. For Kevin, it just shows you how advanced he is as a player. Those are some big-time free throws and (it's impressive) for a freshman to come in and do that in your first year."

UP NEXT 
The Toreros are back in action this weekend, when they host Santa Clara for another crucial West Coast Conference matchup in the Jenny Craig Pavilion. Tipoff on Saturday night against the Broncos is set for 7:00 p.m.