USD beats Hartford in CIT

Strong shooting as a team leads the Toreros to an 88-72 victory over the Hawks

Anderson Haigler | Sports Editor | The USD Vista

From the beginning of the season, the University of San Diego’s men’s basketball team has been clear on their goal for the year.

“We’ve talked about this as a group, and we want to play in the postseason,” then-head coach Lamont Smith said. “And whether that be the CIT, the NIT, the NCAA tournament, coming off of the two years we had we thought that was a feasible goal, so that’s what we’re shooting for.” 

The Toreros achieved their goal Tuesday night, albeit without Smith. They took on the University of Hartford Hawks in the opening round of the CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament (CIT), and rolled to an 88-72 victory at the Jenny Craig Pavilion (JCP). Strong shooting as a team, as well as career games from both senior forward Cameron Neubauer and junior guard Isaiah Wright propelled the team to a win. With the win, the Toreros advance to the next round of the tournament, where they will play Portland State University in another home game. 

The game began close, with both teams trading the lead back and forth three times in the opening minutes of the contest. From the game’s outset, though, USD appeared to be playing with confidence. They looked to be playing loose and having fun in the program’s first appearance in a postseason tournament in four years. An emphatic, alley-oop dunk from redshirt junior Isaiah Pineiro set the tone early, and the Toreros quickly took a 12-10 lead and never looked back. Ten points in the first half from Pineiro as well as seven assists from Wright, allowed USD to maintain their lead through the middle part of the half. As halftime drew near, the Toreros expanded their lead, heading into the break with a seven-point, 42-35 advantage. 

Acting head coach Sam Scholl spoke about   his team’s play in the first half.

“We had to just stay in the moment,” Scholl said. “Not get too high with the highs, not get too low with the lows. You know, we get up, they come back down, we didn’t get all frantic, we just stayed poised. And we were able to just kind of make stops, put stops in a row, and we were able to extend the lead.”

As play resumed in the second half, the Toreros hit their stride on offense. A barrage of scoring from a variety of Toreros saw USD’s lead swell to 16 points after just four minutes of play. Junior guard Tyler Williams chipped in for nine of his 15 total points, and despite not scoring in the first half, Cameron Neubauer exploded for 16 points. USD ultimately proved to be too much for Hartford to handle, prevailing over the Hawks by a final score of 88-72. 

The win for USD was characterized by their dominance on offense. The game saw the Toreros tie their season high with 24 assists, as well as have six different players score in double digits. The also posted their second best shooting performance of the season, shooting 58.2 percent (32-of-55) from the field. 

According to Isaiah Wright, who had a double-double in the game with 14 total points and 11 total rebounds, part of the Toreros’ success Monday came from their ability to play as a team.

“I thought that we did a really great job of just playing with each other,” Wright said. “I mean, the stats show that on 24 assists on the 32 field goals is pretty dang good. I thought we played together, we were playing for each other, and when we needed to make plays we did. I thought it was a great team effort for the whole game.”

Following the game, Coach Scholl stated that he was proud of how his team performed.

“To have a chance to coach these guys, and get a win in the postseason, it was just really a thrill,” Scholl said. “They were excited, they were enthusiastic, and they were just ready to play. And they were just ready to go out and show everybody the tremendous young men that they are.”

Though their current focus remains on the short term with their upcoming game this Saturday, both USD’s players and coaches were well aware of the value that this tournament experience brings for a building program, and their sights are set high for the future seasons to come.

“We call it ‘training camp for March of 2019,’ Scholl said. “That’s what we’re calling it, you know, an opportunity to play in March with our bodies feeling the way we do, our minds, and to be able to find a way to get a win in March. And so its great training for years to come.”

Wright agreed with his coach’s sentiment.

“Getting wins in March is gonna allow you next year to get used to winning in March, and winning in the postseason, in any tournament that is in the postseason,” Wright said. “Our main goal was to try to get a win, and try to get more wins in the postseason, and let that carry on for next year.” 

Cameron Neubauer, though, doesn’t have the luxury of building for next season. As the lone senior on the team, he’s helped guide a young group of players through a turbulent two weeks. And in what could’ve been his final game in a Torero uniform, he stepped up in a big way, and helped his team put away the Hartford Hawks with a strong second half. Coach Scholl said that he was appreciative of Neubauer’s performance in the game. 

“We are so appreciative of the way Cameron has been,” Scholl said. “These tournaments are different for seniors, because for underclassmen they can use it like we just said, a training camp for March of 2019. Cameron doesn’t get that. So the experiences that this tournament brings, he doesn’t get a chance to do. And so we are so proud of Cameron.”

Neubauer said he was simply grateful for the opportunity.

“It’s a lot of fun,” Neubauer said. “I didn’t think I would get to play in the JCP again, and I mean, its a blessing. A lot of seniors don’t get to do this — their season’s over after their conference tournament, and we just keep on playing now, game by game. It’s kind of nostalgic in a way, because you know, I thought that it would be all over, and now we just keep on playing.”

For the Toreros, their game against Hartford represents a much-needed win. Following two weeks that were undoubtedly trying for both the coaches and the players, the team seemed to be back to normal, and they played with a sense of confidence and passion.

“I’m just having fun with my brothers right now,” Wright said.

The Toreros will continue CollegeInsider.com Tournament  play with another home  game against the Portland State University Vikings  Saturday at 7 p.m. at the Jenny Craig Pavilion.