Credit Thomas Christenen - Steven Jamerson II vs. LMU
Thomas Christensen
77
LMU (CA) LMU 10-13,3-6 WCC
79
Winner San Diego SD 14-11,4-6 WCC
LMU (CA) LMU
10-13,3-6 WCC
77
Final
79
San Diego SD
14-11,4-6 WCC
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
LMU (CA) LMU 29 48 77
San Diego SD 42 37 79

Game Recap: Men's Basketball |

McKinney III, Jamerson II Headline Hard-Fought Win Over LMU

Toreros earn 79-77 victory over Lions at JCP behind 24 points from McKinney III, double-double from Jamerson II

SAN DIEGO — A career-high 24 points from Wayne McKinney III and a fourth consecutive double-double from Steven Jamerson II on Wednesday night powered San Diego men's basketball to a hard-fought 79-77 victory over Loyola Marymount in the Jenny Craig Pavilion. 

McKinney III — a junior guard who attended nearby Coronado High School — was 8-for-13 from the field and 2-for-4 from beyond the arc as he matched his career-high with six assists and grabbed six rebounds. 

Jamerson II, a junior center, was a perfect 7-for-7 from the floor as he tallied 14 points and secured a game-high 11 rebounds.

The Toreros (14-11, 4-6 WCC) went ahead of the Lions (10-13, 3-6 WCC) by an 18-point, 39-21 margin with 5:06 left in the first half and never looked back to grab their fourth win in their last five games.

Four USD players had double-digit points against LMU, including junior forward PJ Hayes (16 points, 4-for-8 3PT) and junior guard Deuce Turner, who scored 13 points off the bench and was 7-of-9 from the charity stripe. 

San Diego's 79-77 triumph over the Lions marked its 10th home win of the season, its first home game since January 20, and its first home victory since December 31, 2023.

HOW IT HAPPENED
  • After Loyola Marymount jumped out to a 6-2 lead, the Toreros went on a 10-0 run. USD's hot start included two dunks from Jamerson II and threes from McKinney III and Hayes, and gave San Diego a 12-6 advantage through the game's first four minutes. 
  • That run reached 13-0 on a free throw from freshman guard Kevin Patton Jr. and a layup by McKinney III, and ultimately spanned three and a half minutes. 
  • USD extended its lead to 22-13 with 11:01 left in the first half when Jamerson II grabbed his second offensive rebound of the night and put it back with a reverse slam dunk.  
  • San Diego's efficient scoring night continued as McKinney III remained perfect on offense, making his fourth bucket in as many attempts as the Toreros led 29-14 with 7:39 remaining in the opening frame.
  • Hayes made his second three-pointer of the night in transition on an assist from McKinney III with 6:11 left to give the Toreros what was then their largest lead of the game (34-17), which prompted the Lions to call a timeout. 
  • Entering the final media timeout of the first half, San Diego maintained its commanding lead, getting to 41-23 with 3:19 to go as Jamerson II became the second Torero in double figures with 10 points. 
  • LMU followed with a 6-0 run that lasted nearly three minutes to cut USD's advantage down to 12, 41-29, with 32.5 seconds left in the first half. 
  • USD went into the intermission with a 13-point, 42-29 lead, and led by Hayes' 11 points, already had three players scoring in double figures. Jamerson II , who entered Wednesday night's game with three straight double-doubles, opened the first half with 10 points and seven rebounds. 
  • San Diego went into the first media timeout of the second half with a 49-40 lead that was fueled by McKinney III scoring seven points to reach 15 on the evening. 
  • LMU was able to cut the Toreros' lead down to seven, 56-49, with 12:38 remaining in the game. 
  • After the timeout, Hayes was able to get his team's lead back to double digits on a three-pointer from the wing and Jamerson II followed that with a layup to put USD up 61-49, with 10:26 left. 
  • With 5:55 to go, Jamerson II secured his 11th rebound (fifth offensive) and 13th and 14th points of the evening to give San Diego a 64-57 lead.
  • Turner and Hayes each made clutch jumpers to build San Diego's lead back to nine, 68-59, with 2:32 remaining in the game. After McKinnney III recorded a steal, senior guard Deven Dahlke hit a clutch three-pointer as the shot clock expired to extend USD's lead to a dozen with 1:47 left. 
  • LMU cut the deficit down to four, 71-67, with 57.4 remaining in the game, its smallest deficit of the second half. 
  • The Lions made it a one-possession game in the contest's final minute but the Toreros were able to seal a 79-77 win after McKinney III and Turner made clutch shots down the stretch. 
TORERO TIDBITS 
  • USD has now won four out of its last five games dating back to January 23.
  • San Diego went on a valuable 15-2 run that lasted 7:12 from the 19:01 mark to the 12:49 mark in the first half as it created a game-high 18-point lead. 
  • Jamerson II added a pair of blocks as he recorded his fourth straight game with a double-double. His 35 minutes on the court also tied a season high (January 13 at Pepperdine).
  • Over his last four games, Jamerson II is 31-for-36 (86.1%) from the floor. 
  • He was 10-for-11 at Pepperdine (January 27) , 9-for-10 at San Francisco (February 1), 5-for-8 at Santa Clara (February 3), and 7-for-7 vs. LMU (February 7).
  • USD's efficient night began by shooting 75% (9-of-12) through the game's first nine minutes. 
  • With Wednesday night's win over the Lions —which saw the Toreros take a 49-29 lead into the intermission — USD moves to 7-1 in 2023-2024 when leading at the half.
  • McKinney III's career-best performance against LMU came after he received the Alex Smith Courage in Sports Award on Monday night at the San Diego Sports Association's 76th annual Salute to the Champions.
THEY SAID IT
Head Coach Steve Lavin on his team's performance down the stretch:
  • "Proud of our players for withstanding a really impressive run by Loyola Marymount. They just kept coming. And then, we played really well to build that 18-point lead. It was a good experience. The game pressure that comes from winning a closely contested game is really valuable. It helps your team to come more seasoned and mature. And as the youngest team in school history, we need to play in games like this."
Head Coach Steve Lavin on the ebbs and flows of the Toreros' season thus far:
  • "The resilient spirit of this group is what impresses me...and that's a great trait, not only in sport, but in life…to be able to bounce back and demonstrate that."
Junior guard Wayne McKinney III on Jamerson II's success: 
  • "He's been a game-changer for us. Ever since he got back, it's been great for our team. We need all that, all the boards that he grabs, finishes on the interior, finishes on defense, blocking shots, getting rebounds — all that stuff. So I feel like having Jamerson is totally a game-changer, for sure."
Junior center Steven Jamerson II on the Toreros' first-half production:
  • "It was great. It was fun, everybody was hitting. Everybody was making all their shots, all the threes. PJ, Deuce, Wayne, all of us were doing what we're supposed to do and doing what we know we can do. And it was just fun to play, and fun to watch. The fans loved it, so I'm glad that we were able to do that in our first game back at home in a while."
UP NEXT 
The Toreros return to action this weekend, when they head back out on the road and travel to Stockton, California to continue West Coast Conference play against Pacific in what will mark USD's third-to-last away game of the 2023-2024 season.

Tip-off on Saturday night at the Alex G. Spanos Center is set for 7:00 p.m. 
 
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