SAN DIEGO – A program record 15 threes propelled San Diego men's basketball to a 96-92 win over the Washington State Cougars on Wednesday night in the Jenny Craig Pavilion.
 
Junior guard Ty-Laur Johnson, now the West Coast Conference's scoring leader, led the team to victory again, posting a career-high 28 points – 26 in the second half – with seven assists and three steals.
 
Seven Toreros combined on the record 3-point shooting night as the team went 15-28 (53.6%) from beyond the arc, shooting 63.6% from deep and 58.8% from the field in the second half to put a Cougar comeback to rest. USD had a whopping 25 assists on 37 field goals with just six turnovers and grabbed 15 offensive rebounds.
 
San Diego led by as much as 18 but WSU, led by freshman Ace Glass' 29 points – 24 in the second half in a back-and-forth battle with Johnson – whittled it all the way down to two points with seven seconds remaining.
 
It was redshirt-freshman Gavin Ripp that was the unlikely hero for USD in the closing minutes. The Los Gatos, Calif. native grabbed rebounds on both ends of the floor, scored his team's final seven points with his third career three and went 4-for-4 at the free throw line in the final seconds to ice the game.
 
Five Toreros finished in double figures for the second time this season as USD scored its most points in regulation vs. a DI opponent since 2007. Tim Moore Jr. (13), coming off a 32-point game, was an early presence before running into foul trouble. Juanse Gorosito, Toneari Lane and Vuk Boskovic scored 12-apiece, Boskovic on 4-for-6 3-point shooting. Fresh off a triple-double, fellow forward Assane Diop added seven points, seven boards and four assists.
 
How it Happened

• The Toreros were aggressive from the start, cleaning up on the glass well and using transition pace to take first advantage
• USD went on an 8-0 run as it held WSU without a field goal for five minutes
• San Diego separated even more – to as much as 18 – with high-volume 3-point shooting, even attempting seven threes in a row midway through the half
• Washington State went on a quick 10-0 run towards the end of the period, its first momentum of the game, to trim the score to 42-32 at the half
• After getting into early foul trouble and logging just two points in seven minutes in the first half, Johnson returned to the court and began to take over
• It was a back-and-forth affair for the majority of the second period
• Wazzu began to chip away at the deficit with seven minutes remaining, but USD always had an answer, often from 3-point land
• After leaving the game with a spilt eyebrow, Ripp returned to the floor with crucial and clutch minutes, winning the game for the Toreros from three, on the glass and at the free throw line after WSU brought the game within one score in the closing seconds

 
Notable

• San Diego hit 15 3-pointers, tied most in a single-game for the team, the fourth time doing so, first since Feb. 8, 2018 vs. Pepperdine
• The Toreros eclipsed 96 points in regulation vs. a DI opponent for the first time since Feb. 12, 2007
• In seven WCC games played, Ty-Laur Johnson now leads the conference in scoring average (20.4), steals (3.1) and is third in assists (6.1)
• The Toreros are now 3-1 at home in WCC play, winners of five of their last six in the JCP, the lone loss being 99-93 to the hands of No. 7 Gonzaga
• A Torero has now scored 25-plus points in a half for the second game in a row (also Moore, first half vs. Bethesda Saturday, Jan. 17)
• Steve Lavin improves to 15-2 all-time vs. Wazzu in his head coaching career
• USD has surpassed its 2024-25 WCC win total with 10 games still at hand

 
Up Next
USD continues its home stand by rounding out the season series vs. Santa Clara, hosting the WCC's second-place Broncos Saturday at 6:30 p.m.