SAN DIEGO – The Toreros overcame a 16-point deficit to start the game and led for most of the second half but were eventually edged by Washington State, 61-65 in a thriller Thursday night.
 
After a slow start that saw them go down early, the Toreros surged back, going ahead before the break on 13-2 and 9-0 runs, holding the Cougars to one made field goal in the final 14 minutes of the first half, none in the closing nine. WSU shooting was revived in the second, however, led by Nate Calmese's 22 second-half points, taking the lead for good with only 1:43 remaining.
 
The Toreros nearly pulled off the upset of the now 14-5 Washington State team.
 
Freshman guard Tony Duckett was a spark for the Toreros, scoring 14 points and throwing down two big poster dunks, including one that put USD ahead for the first time just before halftime.
 
Sophomore forward Santiago Trouet was a rebound shy of his sixth double-double, scoring a team-high 17 points and a career-best three steals. Senior center Steven Jamerson II in his return from illness also had nine rebounds. Redshirt-freshman guard Joey Chammaa scored 13 points with three 3-pointers and was a game-high +11.
 
The Toreros wound up with eight more rebounds, nine steals, more points in the paint, more second chance points, more fast break points and more points off the bench.
 
How it Happened

• After a two-game absence due to illness, Jamerson II returned to the lineup, while freshman Kean Webb and grad Kody Clouet remained in the starting five, making the 11^th different starting lineup for the Toreros this season
• Four WSU threes and four USD turnovers early saw the visitors build a 13-0 lead, eventually built to a game-high 18-2 six minutes in
• The Cougar drought began there however, going one for their next 12 from the field
•  The Toreros took advantage of it and turned it into a 13-2 run of their own, cutting the deficit down
•  Chammaa's third 3-pointer tying the game at 25 and Duckett's poster put them ahead right before the buzzer, ending the half on a 9-0 run
• Wazzu didn't score from the field in the final 9:30 of the first half, making just one field goal in a 14-minute span
• Trouet got going early in the second period to extend the Torero lead to six points while the second Duckett slam with an and-one conversion pushed it to seven
• Washington State shooting came back to life, however, taking back the lead with its first three since early in the first half, the score now reading 42-43 at the eight minute mark
• The Toreros would take it right back and stay up for a bit, however, exchanging scores with the guests, keeping the game within a score throughout
• San Diego foul trouble began catching up to it as four players had four fouls
• Another clutch three from Wazzu saw them take back the lead at 56-58 with 1:43 to go
• USD failed to score on the next two possessions, being forced to foul and a late deep three from junior guard Kjay Bradley Jr. wasn't enough in the end

 
Up Next
The Toreros have just one day off before traveling north on the I-5 to face LMU in Los Angeles on Saturday afternoon.
 
Postgame Quotes
 
USD Head Coach Steve Lavin
 
It's disappointing we didn't punch through and get a win. There were a number of areas and elements where we showed some progress, but when you don't punch through, it's disappointing. We definitely showed some punch-back ability. We were plus eight on the boards, plus four in the paint, plus eight in second chance points, plus six fastbreak points, plus 15 in bench points. So, coming back from an early 16-point deficit was a positive but we have to remedy the issue of falling behind early. We can't bury ourselves against good teams, because then we are digging out of that hole all night. We had some really good stretches of play. Nate Calmese was dominant in the second half, we didn't have an answer for him. 22 points, 27 on the night, but 22 of those points were in the second half, and he was the difference maker down the stretch. He posted up inside effectively and got himself to the foul line, hit a big three coming out of a time out, got to the mid-range, as well as getting downhill. So, we've got to salute his performance. He really stepped up. On the flip side, we have to do a better job when someone gets a hot hand of tightening the screws defensively. We have to collectively defend better. We need to be better defensively against a team with a hot hand. We get on the bus at 11:30 a.m., practice at the Clippers facility at the Intuit Dome and then we'll be tipping off at six o'clock on Saturday against a good Loyola [Marymount] team.
 
Freshman Guard Tony Duckett
 
On the two dunks…
That's my third [of the year], because I had one earlier in the season. But I just made a conscious effort, Coach Lavin told me to go up stronger. So, this week, I was really practicing going to the rim strong and flushing it. Because I haven't done it in a while, [Washington State] probably didn't expect it."
 
On gaining confidence as the season goes on…
Coach Earl [Watson] and Coach Lavin, they've really helped me and have guided me in the right direction. They always tell me I have the skill to play at this level and do well. They always show me the right things and give me clues on how to keep growing as a player and help the team.
 
On what he wants to improve going forward…
Definitely effort. I want to become like a lockdown defender as well. And then obviously on offense. I always feel like I can get better. So overall, just probably all around I want to just sharpen everything.
 
On adapting to the college game…
In the offseason, I'm going to have to put on some weight. I noticed it in the first few games, but now, I'm learning how I can maneuver around to use my own leverage against [other players]. Because it's not always about how strong somebody is…sometimes if I drive, I know if I have them off balance, I can bump and it'll work out for me. So just learning, like, different tricks I can use, since I'm not as strong
right now.
 
On what he's learning from his coaches in practice…
In practice, we get to slow things down, and that's when they'll really go in depth and be specific with me, what I can really fix, and then that just helps me translate into the game.
 
On his team's resilience…
Yeah, we know our record isn't great, but we just all know as a collective that we're way better than what it shows. So any team that comes out there, we're ready to compete with them. And we also know it's runs; it's ups and downs in basketball. So, if they go on a run, we can easily do the same thing to them, or even worse. We just always keep that in our heads, just keep playing no matter what happens.
 
On being lightly recruited out of high school…
Most of the time, growing up, when I used to talk to coaches, it wasn't about my skill, it was always about other things, like maybe I don't play hard, or like things like that. So, I was always confident in myself that I could play with anybody. And once I got the shot, that was all I needed.
 
On whether or not he was frustrated by being lightly recruited in high school…
At first, yeah, it did, but then my dad was always telling me to stay with it, like there's
nothing I can really do about that. Just control what I can control. And then I kept that mentality, and it just never really bothered me. It was more like, it is what it is, I'm just going to keep working.