SAN DIEGO — Winners of three of the last four, San Diego is primed to host No. 7 Gonzaga on Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. inside the Jenny Craig Pavilion. 

The game will be streamed on ESPN+ as Jack Cronin (X: @JackCroninPXP) and Braden Surprenant (X: @b_surp) will have the call. Inside coverage can also be found on the @USDMBB social channels.

THE BULLDOG RUNDOWN

• The Zags are 13-1 on the season ranked No. 7 nationally in the AP Poll however No. 2 in NET and top-ranked in ESPN BPI ... Saturday will be the Toreros' third Quadrant-1 game in four, currently 1-1 ... It will also be San Diego's fourth consecutive top-101 NET opponent in a stretch of six such games

• USD trails in the all-time series, 22-82, 13-35 in America's Finest City as Gonzaga is riding a 19-game win streak, nine straight in San Diego, the last Torero win being on Feb. 22, 2014 (69-66 in the JCP)

LAST TIME OUT

- A game-high 22 points from Ty-Laur Johnson helped San Diego men's basketball open West Coast Conference play with a 66-54 victory over Pacific on Sunday at the Jenny Craig Pavilion.

- Johnson was 6-for-13 from the field, a career-best 5-for-8 from distance, and 5-for-6 from the line as he came within a point of his USD career high in scoring. He also notched six steals, which is tied for the second most in a single game in program history and just one shy of the San Diego record.

- His dominant afternoon led the Toreros (6-7, 1-0 WCC) to a wire-to-wire win that saw them lead by as many as 15 after opening the game on a 17-5 run. Pacific (9-5, 0-1 WCC) pulled back within four, 48-44 in the middle stages of the second half, but San Diego outscored UOP by an 18-10 margin across the game's final 10 minutes to secure its third victory in its last four contests.

- Strong performances from Juanse Gorosito (17 points), Toneari Lane (12 points), and Adrian McIntyre (10 points) complemented Johnson's big day. Vuk Boskovic grabbed 10 rebounds, the most by any USD player in a single game this season.

KILLING TWO

- The Toreros are winners of three of their last four, two over top-101 NET sides

- Johnson's six steals were tied for the second most by a Torero in a single game ever, just one shy of the all-time program record, six being last achieved by Jaiden Delaire on Nov. 21, 2022

- San Diego held the guests to 4-22 (18.2%) from three, going 12-30 (40%) from beyond the arc themselves

- It's just the third time four Toreros have scored in double figures, now 2-1 in those games

- USD notched a season best 13 steals, forcing 20-plus turnovers out of its opponents for a third time this season, remaining top-60 nationally in turnovers forced per game

- On the other side of the ball, the Toreros turned the ball over a season-low eight times, having an 25-8 edge in points off turnovers

- The 54 points San Diego held Pacific to on Sunday are a season-low for the Tigers

It's the second straight season that the Toreros top Pacific in both teams' West Coast Conference opening day

- Lavin rolled out the same starting five for a third straight game, the first starting lineup of nine to start three games together

- USD is 6-2 on the season when a player scores 20-plus points

- Vuk Boskovic is the first Torero with more than eight rebounds in a game this season (10)

KILLING TWO DROUGHTS WITH ONE LAST-SECOND WIN

• A Dec. 19 crosstown rivalry matchup came down to the last second as USD junior guard Ty-Laur Johnson banked in a game-winning three to topple UC San Diego, 82-80, and end two lengthy program droughts with the Quad-1 road win

• The Toreros secured their first Quadrant-1 victory since a Feb. 28, 2019, 40 Q1 attempts ago, a 91-90 win at San Francisco in overtime, a season in which the Toreros earned a bid in the NIT ... USD became one of just two WCC teams to claim a Quad-1 win this season, joining NET No. 3 Gonzaga

• San Diego also clinched its first road wins since Feb. 10, 2024, 17 away contests – 678 says – ago, an 89-84 win at Pacific

AT THE CHARITY STRIPE

• As of Dec. 29, USD ranks T-21st nationally in free throw percentage at 77.4% ... The Toreros are one of four WCC teams in the top 25 of free throw-shooting sides nationally

TAKEAWAY SURGE

• In a strong defensive start to December, USD forced 17-plus turnovers out of its opponents in three straight games: 17 vs. NAU (Dec. 13), 21 vs. USC (Dec. 9) and 22 at San Jose State (Dec. 5)

• As of Dec. 29, San Diego ranks T-56th nationally in turnovers forced per game (14.85)

MURDERERS' ROW

• In a stretch of eight games from Dec. 9 to Jan. 4 the Toreros will face seven top-101 NET teams, six straight after Dec. 13, including a stretch of four Quad-1 opportunities in a 6-game stand, three in four games

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