SAN DIEGO — USD hoops hung tough to earn a gritty 78-74 victory over Idaho on Wednesday, leading for all but four minutes as it fended off a staunch comeback attempt from the Vandals down the stretch.
San Diego blazed the stat sheet from beyond the arc, shooting 52% (13-25) from deep led by seven total threes from the Toreros' backcourt pairing of junior
Ty-Laur Johnson (career-high 3-for-5, 21 points) and senior
Juanse Gorosito (4-for-6, 22 points). The duo worked together to rack up 43 of USD's 78 total points on the night.
How it Happened
- The Toreros opened up an early run to lead by six at the first media timeout
- A 10-0 run ignited a 9-point USD lead and forcing an Idaho timeout inside ten minutes
- San Diego led by as much as 14 but had a 38-27 advantage by halftime as the Toreros had 10 assists on 14 made field goals, 7-14 from three while the Vandals were 1-7 with nine turnovers
- Idaho had a 10-0 run of its own early in the second period, bringing the game back to within one
- After the Vandals remained within a couple scores for a large portion of the half, they finally evened the score for the first time since 11-11 at 67-67 inside four minutes to go
- A field goal disparity down the stretch proved crucial to the Torero win as USD finished on a 5-for-5 stretch – also converting clutch free throws – while the guests went 1-for-9 to end the game
Notable
- San Diego only trailed for 55 seconds, early in the game, leading for 88.7% of the game
- The Toreros shot 60% from the field in the second half, 54.5% (6-11) from three
- Junior forward Vuk Boskovic led the Toreros with six rebounds and six assists to add to his 13 total points, three made 3-pointers
- In his first start of the season, junior center Piotr Winkowski put up six points, and a game-high three blocks
- As a team, the Toreros dished out 16 total assists with nine total steals
- Gorosito also totaled a game-high four steals
Up Next
The Toreros will be back in action Tuesday, Nov. 18 to continue their home stretch as they welcome Grambling State to the JCP as part of the Acrisure Series. Tip-off against the Tigers is set for 6 p.m.
