STOCKTON, Calif. — San Diego men's basketball will look to follow up its triumph less than two weeks prior as they face Pacific for a second time in WCC play, this time on the road Saturday afternoon.
The game will be streamed live on ESPN+ while Jack Cronin (PxP, X: @JackCroninPXP) will be calling the action over the radio on USDToreros.com/watch. Inside coverage can also be found on the @USDMBB social channels.
THE TIGER RUNDOWN
• Pacific is 11-7 on the season, 2-3 in conference play, finding themselves at 126 in the NET
• USD is 13-17 all-time, winners of five of the last six over the Tigers under Lavin ... USD is 3-10 in the Spanos Center historically
This Season's First Meeting: Ty-Laur Johnson was dominant on Dec. 28 as he led the Toreros to a wire-to-wire win in the JCP that saw them lead by as many as 15 after opening the game on a 17-5 run ... Pacific, then 9-4 and NET No. 101 pulled back within four in the middle stages of the second half, but San Diego held on to secure its third victory in its last four contests ... Johnson scored 22 points on 6-13 shooting from the field, a career-best 5-8 from distance, and 5-6 from the line as he came within a point of his USD career high in scoring ... The junior guard also notched six steals, which tied the second most in a single game in program history, just one shy of the San Diego record.
LAST TIME OUT
- An 83-63 win over Pepperdine in the Jenny Craig Pavilion Thursday night was San Diego men's hoops' largest margin of victory over a conference opponent in 2,497 days.
- Juniro guard Ty-Laur Johnson posted a 14-point, 10-assist double-double – the first of its kind for a Torero since at least 2019 – plus four steals and five rebounds, entering the game averaging 19.5 points in his last six.
- On a night where USD logged a season-best field goal percentage of 54.2% and converted at a 45.8% (11-24) clip from beyond the arc, grad guard Adrian McIntyre led the Torero scoring contingent with a 16-point effort with the flu.
- Also in double figures were senior guard Juanse Gorosito for the 10th time this season as he scored his 1,000th career collegiate point while junior forward Assane Diop tallied double figures for the first time, in his return to the starting lineup.
- San Diego, which had struggled with rebounding in recent games, finished plus-eight on the glass. Led by Johnson's season-high 10, the Toreros dished out 21-plus assists for a third time this season.
- Starting lineup No. 11 of the season saw Diop and grad guard Dominique Ford return to the first five while grad forward Tim Moore Jr. made his first start as a Torero.
- USD got right to work with an 11-0 run behind thievish defense.
- San Diego laid on the threes, making four of five in a hot streak.
- After starting the game 1-6 from the floor, the Toreros went on an 10-14 shooting stretch
- At the half, USD led the Waves 39-31.
- After a reverse alley-oop by Tim Moore Jr. to start the half, San Diego went on another 11-0 run, 13-1 to start the second period.
- The Toreros extended their lead to as much as 24, but the visitors hung tough with a 10-point stretch of their own.
- USD separated again, shooting 56.7% from the field and 50% from 3-point territory in the second half
- Impact substitutes helped the Toreros hold on for the 20-point victory at the final buzzer.
JUST SHORT VS. #7 ZAGS
• Six points were all that separated the Toreros from one of the biggest upsets and comebacks in program history as the Toreros were edged by No. 7 Gonzaga, 99-93 in the JCP on Dec. 30
• USD trailed by as much as 21 points with less than 10 minutes remaining, 16 with a minute and change to go ... However, backed by a season-best crowd of 3,521 in the Jenny Craig Pavilion, the Toreros would go on an incredible run to pull within two scores; just five points with 11 seconds remaining
• The Torero offensive efficiency came by way of high volume 3-point shooting and improved second-half field goal shooting, distributed by 21 assists ... For the first time this season, five Toreros finished in double figures, led by junior guard Ty-Laur Johnson's fourth 20-plus point game (21) in the last five games
TY-LAUR'S TAKEOVER, TAKEAWAYS
• Junior guard Ty-Laur Johnson is averaging 18.7 points in his last seven games with five 20-plus point performances in that span ... On the other side of the ball, he is averaging four steals in his last four contests
• The Brooklyn native led the Toreros to a WCC-opening 66-54 victory over NET No. 101 Pacific on Dec. 28 ... Johnson was 6-13 from the field, a career-best 5-8 from three, and 5-6 from the line as his 22 points were one shy of his USD season best ... He also swiped six steals, which tied for the second most by a Torero in a single game, just one shy of the San Diego record
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