SAN DIEGO – San Diego Men's Hoops fought from start to finish but ultimately fell to Oregon State 73-83 in the Jenny Craig Pavilion Saturday afternoon in a game that had nine lead changes, six ties and no lead larger than the 10.
 
The Toreros led at the half behind a strong shooting start; 56% from the field and 6-8 (75%) from three. By game's end while San Diego had six more made field goals and three more made threes, the visiting Beavers took advantage of 30 more free throw attempts and 12 more rebounds.
 
Notable

• For the second straight game, a season-best attendance at the Jenny Craig Pavilion was reported
• Grad guard Kody Clouet led the USD effort with a tied career-best 19 points on 7-11 shooting from the field and 4-6 on 3-pointers
• Freshman guard had a career-best five assists to just one turnover and 10 points scored while playing all but 28 seconds of the game
• Redshirt-freshman guard Joey Chammaa also scored in double figures with 11
• Senior center Steven Jamerson II was a point shy of his third double-double of February, logging 10 rebounds and nine points
• San Diego distributed the ball well with 16 assists and limiting turnovers to 10
• It was USD Head Coach Steve Lavin's 450th career game as a head coach in DI MBB

 
How it Happened

• The Toreros sent out their 16^th different starting lineup of the season, now standalone in first place in DI MBB for most starting five combinations used
• The score read 9-10 at the first media after a deep three made by Clouet at the buzzer, the first of six from beyond the arc in the period for USD
• A back-and-forth game continued from then
• San Diego gained it's biggest lead of the night at six after made treys from Clouet, sophomore David Simon and Chammaa
• The Beavers answered with a run to tie it up
• USD would go back out front before the half however, 40-37 at the break
• At the start of the second half, Oregon State went on a 10-0 run in a 1:30 minute stretch and retained the lead from then on out
• San Diego's defense returned to holding strong, but the offense and shot-making ability began to go cold
• The Toreros hung tough using a burst to bring the deficit back down to two with eight minutes to go
• USD was passing the ball well, cutting the lead down to one inside five minutes remaining, forcing a Beaver timeout
• OSU kept steady down the stretch, keeping the hosts at bay and icing the game with converted free throws after starting the day poor from behind the charity stripe (62.5% in first half)

 
Up Next
The Toreros hit the road for one last time before the conference tournament, battling Washington State in Pullman, Wash. on Thrusday at 6:30 p.m. before return home for a senior night affair with Portland on Saturday, March 1 to close out the regular season.
 
Postgame Quotes
Graduate Guard Kody Clouet
 
On his high scoring night…
I felt pretty good out there. I'm starting to get my shot going again, getting my legs under me, my body's feeling good. Just happy with the performance out there.
 
On the turning point for him…
Yeah, I'd say mostly just my health. It's being back to 100% and getting a lot more extra reps up. Repetition for me is really big. 
 
On the fight that his team showed tonight…
This team has a ton of fight in it. We never give up. We're always bringing energy. We're always going to come back and try to hit. Hopefully we can break through pretty soon. Next week's gonna be big for us.

Head Coach Steve Lavin
 
Opening statement…
In some respects, we played one of our better games of the season. We had six more field goals than Oregon State, and we made more three pointers, three more three pointers than the Beavers. We held our own in terms of points in the paint, and that was a big factor coming in against a team that likes to play through the post. We were opportunistic, we were alert, we were sharing the ball. We shot 56% in the first half, and held them to 42% not only in the first half, but for the entire game. So it was one of our better sustained efforts defensively. They got to the charity stripe 30 more times than we did, and that was really the difference. That's why, even though we had six more field goals, and three more three pointers than they had, they were able to secure the win late because they knocked down some timely threes. It wasn't the amount of threes, but the timing of the threes that hurt us. Proud of our players in terms of fighting and scrapping. We've been in the desert, it's no secret, but their character really shines through. I see it every day in practice, our fans see it on game days. It's not a group that goes quietly into the night. They counter-punch, they fight well, they care about each other, and you see that on the court in games, and you also see it in practice. That's easier said than done, and in particular when you're in the midst of a losing streak as we are, and that will serve them well later in life. In the meantime, we'd like to get back to the winner's circle and end this slide, and 'get off the snide', and all those phrases that we use as coaches. But proud of them for their effort tonight, and now we've got to come back to practice and get better in the areas that hurt us, and build on our strengths because there's some really good things going on in terms of individual player development and even stretches in the game where we're playing high level basketball, and executing at a high level. Then we have some stretches that hurt us, where we take some ill-advised shots, turn the ball over a little bit and have some breakdowns defensively, and we don't have the margin for error to be able to do that and still come out on top with a win. So we've got to minimize opponents' runs and do the things that are going to allow us to be successful and put ourselves in a competitive position to win a game.
 
On Kody Clouet's performance…
Kody had some good practices. It doesn't always work out where if you have good practices that you play well in the games, I've had players that struggle in practice and then play lights out in the game, and vice versa, players who really practice well but don't perform well under the lights when it's game time. But Kody's hard work is paying off. He's had some good practices, and now we're seeing him find his rhythm offensively and hit some big shots for us. Some with the clock winding down, but he found a way. He even had some good fortune with the banker from straight on with the clock running down. His teammates were looking for him. There were a couple possessions where I think we could have made that extra pass to get a higher percentage three, but instead we took a shot that wasn't a bad shot, but with that extra pass or that 'one more' mindset in rotating the basketball offensively with a precise pass, that's when we'll shoot the ball at even a higher clip. But today was progress. Eight for 22 is a competitive number from beyond the three point arc.
 
On Tony Duckett's performance…
Tony played big minutes. I think he only came out for 30 seconds. To play against a quality team, an upper half of the West Coast Conference team in Oregon State, he really sustained a high level throughout the game, which for a freshman is impressive. He didn't seem to hit the wall. He's getting better defensively, which is what we've really focused on. We know he's dynamic, he can shoot the ball from long range, I think he's shooting 38% from the three on the season. He can get to the rim with his quickness, his ability to accelerate. He's got good footwork and good handles so he can separate from defenders and create his own shot. He needs to improve his mid range shots, and sometimes when he gets to the mid range he shoots off balance, but when he gets his feet under him his shot mechanics are beautiful, and that's why he's shooting 88% from the foul line because you're on balance at the free throw line. That's why his numbers are impressive for a freshman from the charity stripe. Off the bounce and on the move, he needs to really be aware of taking off and landing in the same spot, because that'll increase the accuracy of his shooting percentages. But proud of him. Big minutes against a big time opponent. That one turnover is important as well, it shows he's making better judgments and making better decisions on the move with his orchestrating ability to share the ball.
 
On the upcoming schedule…
We fell behind against Washington State on our home court 18-2, and then we rallied and went on a 23-point run to take a seven point lead against them, before they had the final push to close out the game and get the win against us. So we've got to be ready to play a quality opponent on the road in a tough environment, and it starts with our practices, our rehearsals, and our mindset. One of the things when you're in a losing streak, it's really important to reframe and to reset the mindset. It's a metaphor for life. That's the beautiful thing about sports. It's why parents, teachers, and coaches understand the value of sports. Because we learn these really important traits or attributes, characteristics that not only help us in the arena of sports, but help us beyond sports itself in the game of life. So our kids are getting a school of hard knocks, a PhD in a school of hard knocks, and we address that. We're transparent about it, and just say we don't know why. We're not trying to lose these games. We're working hard, we're preparing, and we just haven't caught a break. But that is often what life is like. It just keeps coming, whether it's losing loved ones or dealing with health challenges, or losing your job, getting divorced, losing a home, that's all real. So sports, relative to life, is a safer haven to learn these important lessons about resilience and bounce back, and still being a good teammate, and still coming back with the right attitude, so that's what I'm most proud of with these guys, probably more than any team I've ever coached. Number one, I've never had this number of losses in a row. But what really impresses me, and what I admire about our group, is they come back to practice, and you wouldn't know that we're in the desert and struggling like we are. They got their chin up, no one's pouting, there's no pity parties, no one's feeling sorry for themselves. They really represent our school in an impressive fashion, on and off the court. And now we just want to get some wins, because they deserve it. Our staff wants to see them get some W's here late in the season. We've got the West Coast Conference tournament coming up. We've got to get ready in practice this week, go to Washington State, come home to play against Portland, and then the following week, we're going to Vegas. And no matter whether you're 30-4, or 4-30, or what kind of season you had, everyone in conference tournaments during championship week goes back to 0-0, and you're given a reset, an opportunity to punch your ticket to the big dance if you can get hot at the right time of the year. And we're playing competitively against the top of our league, so there's no one that we're going to face in Vegas that we're not going to have an opportunity to win. But we've got to get better between now and then.
 
On coaching his 450th career game as a head coach in DI men's basketball…
It's relationships, and being grateful for the relationships you develop. Going back to Purdue University and then time at UCLA, and time at St John's, and now at the University of San Diego in today's game. Of course Earl Watson, who played for me at UCLA is one of our assistant coaches. It's a situation where you're grateful to be able to work with Earl. When I was at St John's, Rico Hines was on my staff. And today, Brandon Lloyd, who also played for me at UCLA and lives here in San Diego, came to the game. Dijon Thompson, another Bruin, who played for me at UCLA was here as well. So the relationships are what you appreciate most about the game. NCAA Tournament runs are great, watching young people develop and participating in their dreams and aspirations is what got me into this business. The camaraderie that you have with your players and coaching staff, and to be able to do it coast to coast. Obviously it's a lot of games, so that means I'm getting old as well. It means a lot, and I'm grateful even when we're struggling. I told the players that it's important. You can't just be a front runner and be grateful when things are going well, you gotta also be grateful for the challenges coming your way. The struggle is also growth opportunities, and that's what we're definitely learning this year, is how to grow through struggle.
 
On the support of back-to-back season-best attendances at the JCP…
Fan attendance is important. It helps in so many respects. It helps our players, they talk about that sixth man when you've got that support and that love in the house here at the JCP. It also makes me aware of the efforts of our marketing people, they've worked strategically and diligently to create interest in our athletic programs and the men's basketball program specifically. It's also a credit to our players, I think it's the way they compete game in and game out. We haven't come up with a win as of late, but we're punching back, trying to get to the winner's circle, but I think our loyal fans really appreciate the fight and the grit that this team brings to the table in every home game, and so we hope we get more fans in our upcoming game next Saturday against Portland, I think it's a 7 p.m. game if I'm not mistaken. So we need people to turn out. It'll be senior day, where we recognize some of our seniors who have served so well during their time here at USD, and then I hope they travel over to Vegas so we can bring a contingent of Torero fans for the West Coast Conference tournament. Then looking down the line next year, we're punching up and we're going to close the gap on the top of this league and climb the ladder. We have a lot of work to do in the off season both in terms of player development and also recruiting. Because we have to make some tweaks to our roster and personnel. Recruiting is the lifeblood of any athletic program, and it's no different here at USD.