Toreros make deep WCC run

USD basketball wins three straight games in WCC Tournament in stunning conclusion to season

Anderson Haigler / Sports Editor / The USD Vista

Given the recent modifications to the West Coast Conference (WCC) Tournament, a difficult path to postseason success awaited the University of San Diego men’s basketball team. Beginning this year, the teams with the worst records in WCC participate in the tournament’s first round, while the conference’s top two teams enjoy a double-bye in the six-day event. 

As the tournament’s seventh seed out of 10 teams, a trip to the finals for USD (21-14, 7-10 WCC)  would have required four victories in five days. A daunting, if not potentially exhausting feat for any team. But the arduous road ahead didn’t faze the Toreros. Not at all.

“There’s no room to be tired when it comes to the conference tournament,” redshirt senior guard Isaiah Wright said during one of the Toreros’ final practices before they shipped off to Las Vegas. “It’s a lot of games, but it allows us to keep on building from each game.”

Wright was right. The changes to the tournament didn’t matter to the Toreros when they handily beat 10-seed University of Portland 67-47 in the opening round. They didn’t matter to USD when they cruised to a 62-45 victory over 6-seed Santa Clara University and avenged their uncharacteristic early-season loss to the Broncos. And the WCC Tournament’s frenetic format most certainly did not matter to USD when they steamrolled 3-seed Brigham Young University (BYU) by a score of 80-57 after leading for nearly 40 points for the entirety of the game.

The magnitude of the their impressive, if not statistically improbable run was not lost on the Toreros, however.

“That’s one down!” Wright exclaimed to his teammates as they executed their signature mid-air shoulder bump in the Orleans Arena’s locker room after their first-round win.

As an Olin Carter III 3-pointer found its mark versus Santa Clara the following night, sophomore center Jake Gilliam’s wild-eyed, fist pumping celebration with the rest of the San Diego bench became a meme-worthy example of just how much passion the Toreros were playing with.And as USD headed into the tunnel after their rout of the Cougars, redshirt senior forward Isaiah Pineiro just about summed up what his team was feeling after their third consecutive postseason win.

“I love winning!” Pineiro yelled to his teammates before letting out a roar of celebration.

It was hard to blame San Diego for their enthusiasm. It was March,  after all, and in college basketball’s fabled month of madness, the Toreros had hit their stride at precisely the right time after a season full of ups and downs. They were able to ride this wave of enthusiasm all the way to a semifinal matchup against No. 2 seed Saint Mary’s College. But eventually, something had to give. In their fourth game in five days, USD gave a well-rested Gaels team all they could handle, battling for the entirety of the first half before taking the lead multiple times in the second half. They battled until the bitter end, fighting for the lead in a game that was close until  its final seconds. But when time expired, USD was on the wrong side of a hard-fought, 69-62 loss to Saint Mary’s, bringing an end to their magical, impressive run that took the Toreros deep into the WCC Tournament. A perhaps slim consolation for the Toreros: The Gaels went on to upset national No. 1 Gonzaga University in the WCC Championship on Tuesday night. 

Below is an in-depth recap of all four of USD’s conference tournament games this past weekend.

FIRST ROUND: 

USD 67, PORTLAND 47

The long weekend began for the Toreros with a Thursday matchup against the lowly University of Portland Pilots. Though they were without a win in the WCC in the regular season, the Pilots presented a challenge for USD in their most recent previous meeting, testing the Toreros in a hard-fought 63-52 San Diego win on Feb. 21 that featured 10 lead changes. 

The postseason iteration of the matchup began perhaps similarly, as USD traded the lead back and forth with the Pilots multiple times. The Toreros trailed by as many as five points early on, then took a short-lived five-point lead before Portland made it a one-point, 31-30 game with 1:39 to play in the first half. In the final moments of the opening period, however, a fastbreak Finn Sullivan jumper allowed the Toreros to re-establish their five-point advantage by a score of 35-30 as they headed into halftime. 

When the two teams emerged from the locker room after the intermission, the game took on a drastically different tone. For the first 8:53 of the second half, the San Diego defense did not allow a Portland basket enroute to allowing just six total baskets in the half. In the midst of USD’s staunch defense was a solid effort on offense, with five players notching double-digit points scored after shooting 50 percent from the field in the second half as a team. Sixteen total points from Pineiro, 13 apiece from senior guard Olin Carter III and Wright, and 11 each from senior guard Tyler Williams and redshirt junior forward Alex Floresca proved to be a recipe for success, as USD opened up a 16-point lead midway through the second half. After a spectacular one-handed dunk from Pineiro punctuated the Toreros’ late-game surge, a pair of jumpers from Carter III and Wright sealed the win for San Diego, earning them a 20-point, 67-47 victory over the Pilots.

In a game against the conference’s worst team, it might’ve been easy for USD to get caught up with looking ahead to the later parts of the bracket. But after the game, USD men’s basketball head coach Sam Scholl emphasized the focus that his team employed to succeed in the game.

“After Saturday’s game at BYU… these seniors just stepped up and immediately started talking about the discipline we’re going to have to have, the determination,” Scholl said. “Literally all we talked about since that point on Saturday was today. And now all we’re gonna talk about is tomorrow.”

SECOND ROUND:

USD 72, SANTA CLARA 45

This in-the-moment mindset appeared to serve USD well as they began their next game against sixth-seeded Santa Clara. Though USD had lost a poorly-played Jan. 3 game versus the Broncos in their lone meeting this season, they had a few reasons to be optimistic for the rematch. For one, they had Wright in the lineup this time around, who had missed the early January game due to a wrist injury. They also had the benefit of time, as 16 games and 66 days had elapsed since USD’s 68-56 defeat in the Bay Area that opened WCC play.

“For us, it’s just understanding that that was a long time ago,” Scholl said. “It seems like ages ago that we played that game. So it’s almost like we’re playing an opponent maybe for the first time.”

The Toreros’ performance on Friday night certainly made the previous matchup seem like a distant memory. They took an early lead on a layup in the paint from Pineiro and never looked back. Another layup and a free-throw, this time from Carter III made it a 5-0 ballgame. Then sophomore forward Yauhen Massalski tossed in a layup of his own. Seven-0 Toreros. It would again be their defense, though, that impressed the most early on. For the first 8:29 of play in the game, USD did not allow a single field goal from Santa Clara, holding them to just 28 percent shooting on the night. And despite the Broncos showing a modicum of resiliency in the face of the stifling San Diego defense, climbing to within three points of the slim Torero lead on two occasions, USD proved to be too much for them as a whole. After a 3 from Tyler Williams expanded the Toreros’ lead to 16-10, it was all USD, all the time for the rest of the game. By halftime they possessed a nine-point, 25-16 advantage.

San Diego stayed hot on offense after the break. Wright, who scored just one point on a free throw in the first half, exploded for 22 points in the second period, shooting 8-10 from the field, and 4-5 shooting 3-pointers. Behind Wright’s big half, the Toreros were able to stretch their lead to as large as 23 points with 3:29 to play before settling in for a 17-point, 62-45 victory over Santa Clara. The win marked their most dominant defensive performance of the season thus far, with their 45 points allowed to the Broncos being a season low. 

Scholl spoke about his team’s performance.

“I was just thrilled with our guys’ determination,” Scholl said. “We really wanted to be the aggressors in this game, from the moment the ball was tipped we wanted to be the aggressors. Especially with our defensive effort. It was our best defensive effort of the season for us, it has to be one of the best in a long time in San Diego history.” 

With two impressive victories under their belts, they advanced to take on No. 3 seed BYU Saturday, with tip-off set for after 9 p.m. The Cougars represented the Toreros’ most difficult opponent so far in the tournament, as they lost in both regular season matchups, both at home and on the road. As the Toreros had proved in their last two games, however, none of that seemed to matter in the slightest.

QUARTERFINALS:

USD 80, BYU 57

The quarterfinals began as inconspicuously as any game USD has played this season, with Pineiro opening up the scoring with a layup as he had done the evening before. But then Wright sank a 3-pointer. Then he put in a layup. Then he sank two more 3’s. After just 3:37 of play in the game, the Toreros were out to a stunning 13-0 lead behind 11 quick points from Wright. Minutes later, a layup from McKay Cannon brought the Cougars to within seven, with a score of 15-8 in favor of USD, but BYU would get no closer. In an absolute tour de force on the  offensive and defensive fronts, the Toreros dominated the Cougars, dismantling the tournament’s No. 3 seed in all facets of the game. USD shot 49 percent (25 of 51) on the night, and 41 percent (7-17) from three-point range. Behind 15 first-half points from Pineiro, 11 from Wright, and seven from first-year guard Finn Sullivan, the Toreros had themselves a shocking and decisive 27-point lead at halftime, which marked their second-largest halftime advantage of the season, most points scored in a first half this season, and fifth most in any half they’ve played in this season.  

However, they did not take their foot off the gas in the second period. Pineiro continued to pour it on, adding 12 more points for a game-high 27 with a game-high 12 rebounds, marking his 17th double-double of the season. Meanwhile, Sullivan proceeded to have the best game of his young career, finishing with 17 points on 5-8 shooting.  By the 11:47 mark in the second half, USD had a 44-point, 69-25 lead over the Cougars, who finished tied for second in the conference, and defeated the Toreros by a combined 20 points in the teams’ two regular-season meetings. 

Just as impressive as San Diego’s offensive effort was their air-tight defense. They held BYU to just 57 points, more than 22 points below their 79.7 average of points scored. Their leading scorers, junior forward Yoeli Childs and junior guard TJ Haws, who enjoyed substantial success against the Toreros in the regular season, were able to score just 14 and 10 points, respectively. Perhaps most impressively, though, USD was able to hold the Cougars to just 31 percent shooting, and six percent (1-17)  shooting 3-pointers, which marks a WCC Tournament record for the worst 3-point shooting percentage in tournament history.

Scholl discussed his team’s strong performance.

“This is a lot of fun to be a part of right now, to watch these guys play,” Scholl said. “The determination that they’re showing on possession after possession, being the aggressors from the moment the ball is tipped, and then how they’re playing for each other is really special.”

Scholl noted that his team’s resilient attitude following a near-blowout loss on the road to BYU less than a week prior may have played a part in their win.

“It’s amazing, a little over a week ago, we sat in the locker room up in Provo after they beat us pretty good, and instantly these guys said, ‘Hey, here’s our track,’” Scholl said. ‘“Day by day we’re gonna keep getting better, we’re gonna keep playing for each other, and keep being connected, and keep being really determined.’”

Pineiro mentioned that their two previous defeats at the hands of the Cougars earlier in the season may have given them some extra motivation to secure the win.

“We were in the moment,” Pineiro said. “We just had to keep the lead. When we played them at home we were up by 16 or 20 and lost in overtime. So we knew that we couldn’t let up at all.”

Given that a big part of USD not letting up down the stretch was a masterful performance from Sullivan, Scholl offered high praise for his first-year guard.

“He played a heck of a game,” Scholl said. “He always steps up in the moment.”

Sullivan, succinct as always, summed up the biggest game of his career thus far.

“I was just trying to win the game,” Sullivan said. “Possession by possession.”

The game represented perhaps the culmination of a season filled with hard work and ups and downs for the Toreros. After a year of emphasizing how close they were to “putting it all together,” and how dangerous of a team they would be should they ever be able to do so, they finally did it. As was exceedingly obvious to anyone who even glanced at the stat sheet, USD’s win over BYU was by far their most complete game of the season, an assessment that Pineiro agreed with wholeheartedly.

“Yeah, I can honestly say that,” Pineiro said. “We don’t want to stop playing for each other, we don’t want our season to end.”  

When the dust settled on a wildly dominant game for the Toreros, they were 80-57 victors, advancing them to the semifinals, where they would take on No. 2      seed Saint Mary’s College.

SEMIFINALS:

SAINT MARY’S 69, USD 72

USD’s matchup with Saint Mary’s was the closest game on both sides that they had seen so far in the Tournament. Though the Toreros trailed for the entirety of the first half, they were able to keep things relatively tight, never allowing the Gaels to establish more than a 10-point lead. Twelve first-half points from Pineiro had USD trailing by just five at the break in a 33-28 game.

After the intermission, the Toreros seemed to find their step a bit, cutting the Saint Mary’s lead to just three on a jumper from Carter III in the second period’s opening seconds. Three minutes later, a 3-pointer from Wright made it a three-point, 42-39 game. And when Carter III sent up another successful jumper, the Toreros were tied with the Gaels for the first time on the night by a score of 42-42. USD traded points with Saint Mary’s after tying the contest, again evening the score on a 3-pointer, this time from Carter III. They would tie the game one final time at 48 before taking their first lead of the night on a layup from Floresca with 10:53 remaining that made the score 50-48 in favor of the Toreros. 

Throughout the game, USD looked sharp, and played up to the level of the WCC’s second-best team. In no way did they look overmatched, nor did they appear to be feeling the effects of a brutal tournament schedule. 

The Toreros’ high level of play was on full display down the stretch, as they either led or kept the score tied until there was just 6:56 left in the game. But when Saint Mary’s forward Malik Fitts hit one of two free throws to give the Gaels a 53-52 lead, USD was unable to close the gap, and trailed for the remainder of the contest. They had their chance at victory after yet another Isaiah Wright 3-pointer made it a one-possession, 62-60 game that was still in favor of Saint Mary’s. But when Pineiro missed a 3-pointer that he had a good look on with just 40 seconds remaining, the game began to slip away. USD had to resort to fouling the Gaels to keep them from running out the clock, and Saint Mary’s took full advantage, making seven of their final eight free throws to seal a 69-62 win and put a tough end to USD’s lengthy WCC Tournament run. 

Though it would’ve been easy to blame any number of the Toreros’ shortcomings in the game on such a difficult tournament schedule, Wright emphatically stated that fatigue did not play a part in USD’s loss.

“We felt fine,” Wright said. “It didn’t play any factor in it. Our team showed great effort, but the better team won tonight.”  

In an emotional press conference after the game, Scholl described his gratitude and appreciation for his senior players after what may have been their last game together.

“Three or four years ago, (Isaiah Wright) and those three other seniors all bought into wanting to change the way a program is perceived, and the way a program feels,” Scholl said. “They all took chances on us; Olin and Tyler before we had ever coached a game, and Isaiah and Isaiah after we had won nine games. And they decided, ‘You know what, we wanna do something special and change the way a program feels.’ And they’ve accomplished that, that’s gonna be their legacy. We’ll be forever indebted to them.” 

Scholl offered one final sentiment about his veteran players that went beyond the game of basketball.

“They’re gonna be amazing fathers and husbands and basketball players from here on out,” Scholl said.

If this does mark the end of USD’s season, it will be a season in which they accomplished a significant amount. With their final record now standing at 21-14 (7-9 WCC), they have achieved the following:

-Won USD’s first WCC Tournament game since 2013 with a 67-47 victory against Portland (March 7).

-Secured USD’s second consecutive 20-win season — the first time the Toreros have produced back-to-back 20-win seasons as a Division-I program.

-Won three games in the WCC Tournament since the 2007-08 season.

-Produced the most wins in a single season (21) since the 2007-08 season (22).

Though playing in a postseason tournament of some sort appears likely for the Toreros, considering that they played in the CollegeInsider.com Tournament (CIT) after losing in the first round of the WCC Tournament last season and finishing with just an 18-13 (9-9 WCC) record before CIT play, Scholl was noncommittal about USD’s potential future postseason plans.

“Right now I’m just trying to enjoy these guys, and just reflect on the tremendous fight and will that they showed this weekend, and really just celebrate their careers,” Scholl said after the loss. “That stuff will happen if it happens.” 

Despite the Toreros’ falling short of their goal of winning the WCC Tournament, Wright stated that he was proud of his team’s performance.

“I thought that this weekend we showed great effort,” Wright said. “We had a goal, and we didn’t reach that goal, but I’m proud of our guys and what they did. We had a lot adversity this season, and I thought as a team, I couldn’t be more proud of this team.”

If USD is to be selected to the National Invitational Tournament (NIT) or accept an invitation to the College Basketball Invitational (CBI) or CIT, they will likely make an announcement later this week after the NCAA Tournament bracket is released this Sunday, March 17.