SAN DIEGO – Wrapping up a stretch of four games in eight days, the San Diego women's basketball team (6-11, 0-4 WCC) once again mounted a strong fourth quarter comeback but couldn't get past Saint Mary's (10-7, 1-3 WCC) as they fell 57-49 on Sunday afternoon in the Jenny Craig Pavilion. 

Eva Ruse had a fantastic afternoon off the San Diego bench as she collected her first collegiate double-double against the Gaels. Continuing her torrid scoring stretch, Kylie Ray recorded 17 points for USD during Sunday afternoon's game. 

HOW IT HAPPENED

• After Saint Mary's took an initial 4-0 lead, the Toreros answered back as Hallie Rhodes knocked down a pull up mid-range jump shot to get USD back within two. 
• Later in the quarter, Ayla Williams made a nice move to the basket and earned a trip to the line as she made both free throws to make it a 7-4 game. 
• Scoring San Diego's final points of the quarter, Ray made a pull up jumper at the top of the key as the Toreros trailed 16-8 at the end of the quarter. 
• Getting the second quarter going, Jayden Rhodes made a tremendous spin move in the paint and scored with her left hand as SMC led 18-10. 
• At the 7:18 mark of the second quarter, Ruse got her big game going as she scored a layup off an Olivia Owens assist to make the score 24-12 Gaels. 
• Near the end of the first half, Owens recorded her first points of the afternoon by connecting on a mid-range shot after a great feed from Ray as San Diego trailed 34-19 heading into the locker room. 
• To start the second half, USD's defense was able to create a turnover as Lilly Amor leaked out for an easy run to the basket as the Toreros trailed 36-21 looking to claw back into the game. 
• Later on in the third quarter, Owens made an aggressive drive to the hoop and put home a layup to make it a 41-25 score. 
• Reaching double figures in scoring, Ruse scored a layup for USD's final points of the quarter as the Toreros trailed 44-27 with 10 minutes remaining.
• Continuing to fight late in the game, USD put together a 7-0 spurt to begin the fourth quarter as Ruse, Ray and Owens each scored key buckets to force the Gaels into a timeout. 
• Following a media timeout, the Toreros scored four quick points as Ysabella Von Spieler and Ray each put home driving layups to make it a 48-42 game with just 3:30 minutes remaining in the game. 
• Saint Mary's would stabilize in the final minutes as they picked up a 57-49 victory on Sunday afternoon. 

TORERO TIDBITS

• Ruse had a tremendous game for San Diego as she scored 14 points, collected 10 rebounds, forced two steals and made five of the six field goals she attempted. 
• Ray scored 17 points, grabbed five rebounds and dished out five assists in her 37 minutes of action. 
• Owens played 31 minutes against Saint Mary's and scored eight points, pilfered three steals, grabbed a trio of rebounds and picked up a pair of assists during Sunday afternoon's game. 

CATCHING UP WITH COACH ALVERSON

• "I think we took a few steps backwards today. We have fight and we have players who will fight back but we've got to get to the point where we have that fight and energy at the beginning of the game. We play in a great league and everyone's scrapping for wins and there's a lot of parity in this league and the other teams are working and playing just as hard as we are."

NEXT UP
The Toreros now head back on the road as they will be in the Pacific Northwest to face Seattle U (4-11, 0-4 WCC) on Thursday, January 8 at 6:00 p.m. from the Redhawk Center. Live video and live statistic links for Thursday's game can be found via the team's schedule page.