LAS VEGAS – USD men's basketball's season lives on after an electrifying 66-62 win over 10th-seeded LMU in the first round of the 2026 Credit Union 1 West Coast Conference Championship Tournament Thursday night in Orleans Arena.
It was a tale of two halves and two players for the 11 seed Toreros, who advance to face No. 7 Seattle U Friday night. San Diego built a cushion over the Lions with a big first half surge, led by grad guard
Adrian McIntyre's 16 points. In the second half, senior guard
Juanse Gorosito nullified LMU's comeback attempts with timely 3-pointers.
In the first half, USD shot a blitzing 53.8% from the floor and went 5-10 from three to lead by as much as 13. In the second, less field goals – just seven – made it through the cylinder as LMU slowly chipped away at the lead, bringing it down to one point with one minute left. The Toreros would survive and advance, however, with big plays in the clutch moments and perfect free throw shooting down the stretch.
McIntyre finished with a team-high 17 points and five assists, Gorosito added 14 and grad guard
Toneari Lane 13 in a full 40 minutes played. Redshirt-freshman forward
Gavin Ripp scored in double figures in a second straight for the first time in his career while junior big
Assane Diop was close to a double-double with seven points, nine rebounds and three of the team's six blocks against one of the WCC's biggest teams.
The Toreros match up with seven seed Seattle U in the second round on Friday, March 6, at 8:30 p.m. one rung up the WCC Tournament ladder, streaming live on ESPN+ and over the radio on USDToreros.com/watch.
How it Happened
- The Toreros rolled out their 20th different starting lineup combination of the season, third most nationally
- After an early deficit, USD ignited on a 12-2 run for the Toreros' first lead, going to work in the paint
- San Diego extended its lead to as much as 13, not having led by more than 2 points during the Toreros' first two run-ins with the Lions during the regular season
- At the half, USD led 42-31 behind McIntyre's 16 points, five rebounds and four assists
- The script was flipped in the second half as the Torero shots stopped going in as LMU stayed in the fight, however answered by big Juanse Gorosito 3-pointers in the middle portion of the half
- The favored Lions chipped away slowly as the USD offensive lull continued and it became apparent the game would come down to the wire
- San Diego's lead was cut all the way down to one with one minute to win it
- The Toreros got to the free throw line and converted on all six attempts, defending and rebounding LMU's shots at the other end to seal the four-point victory
Notable
- The 66-62 final score exactly mirrored the USD women's winning score in their win also as the 11 seed over the 10 seed, Saint Mary's, earlier in the day in Orleans Arena
- USD ends a six-game losing streak vs. Loyola Marymount and avenges a series sweep this season as well as a second-round elimination from the 2025 edition of the WCC Tournament
- San Diego's 11-point halftime lead was the tied-most vs. a DI opponent this season (three other times), most in a game away from home
