Toreros chop down Cardinal but tamed by Pacific Tigers

Senior Chris Lewis got the ball rolling for the Toreros by scoring the team’s first seven points. He finished with 15 points and five rebounds. Both teams battled and though the Toreros led for much of the half, they were never able to pull away and they took a slim 35-32 lead into halftime.

Stanford senior Landry Fields kept his team in it as he compiled 25 points and nine rebounds. USD committed some undisciplined fouls but Stanford struggled from the line and never got out to a comfortable lead. They finished just 17 of 26 on free throws.

The Toreros received inspired performances from many of their players. The aforementioned seniors, Jackson, Johnson and Lewis led the way, but big men Chris Manresa and Roberto Mafra came up big off the bench and gave the Toreros a much needed boost inside. Manresa added 10 points and five boards and Mafra was good for nine points and five rebounds while adding two key blocks down the stretch to keep Stanford from taking a run at the lead. With the big men stepping up on the defensive side, Stanford was held to just two field goals in the final seven minutes of play.

USD controlled the tempo throughout the game, but they still held a mere nine point lead with just over three minutes to play. However, with Stanford driving, De’Jon Jackson came up with a huge steal and took it the other way for a layup, putting the Toreros up 11 and the game out of reach for the Cardinal.

Another bright spot for the Toreros was the play of freshman point guard Patrick McCollum. Only four of BJ’s 18 points came in the first half and when he came out early on with what looked like a minor tweak to his Achilles’ heel, which he injured last year, the team needed someone to step up in his place. The box score for the frosh is nothing overwhelming (3-2-4) and he certainly made his fair share of rookie mistakes, but he was fearless in his first college game.

There was little time to savor the big victory as the Toreros traveled to Stockton to take on University of the Pacific on Monday night. The team struggled throughout the entire game, shooting just 31 percent (14-45) from the field and a meager 27 percent (6-22) from the three-point line. Still, a late push had them tied with five seconds to play, but an ill-advised foul from McCollum put the Tigers on the line. After missing the first free throw, Lavar Neufville hit the second one and gave Pacific a 56-55 lead with five seconds remaining. USD junior Matt Dorr missed a three at the buzzer and the Toreros lost a heartbreaker to the Big West Pacific Tigers.

San Diego led 21-14 with four-and-a-half minutes to play in the first half, but they failed to score the rest of the half and a jumper by Pacific’s Allen Huddleston beat the buzzer and put the Tigers up 22-21 heading into the break. The Toreros never regained the lead.

Pacific led by 10 with 6:48 remaining in the game, but USD fought back and set themselves up with a chance to steal the game. Trailing 55-51, Jackson hit a big three to cut the lead to one with just 28 seconds to play. He finished the game with 16 points and eight rebounds for San Diego. A turnover by Neufville gave the Toreros the ball with 17 seconds to play and a chance to come away with a huge road win. McCollum was fouled but only hit one of the two free throws. Still, overtime seemed well within reach. But that was when McCollum committed the big foul. Pacific shot just 19-36 from the free throw line, but they made the biggest one of all when they needed it most.

Despite the disappointing loss on the road, the Toreros still look to be headed in the right direction as they seek to improve after last year’s disappointment. The team has plenty of potential as fresh faces like McCollum and Manresa are already getting accustomed to Division I basketball. The JCP should be rocking for the next home game on Dec. 2nd when the Toreros take on cross town rival San Diego State.