USD vs. Nevada

Raymond Ayala / The USD Vista

The Toreros went into the game thinking it was going to be a challenge. Instead they were able to control the game from start to finish with ease. They knew they were going to be without starting sophomore guard Trumaine Johnson, yet freshman guard Matt Dorr had another great defensive game in his place. The Toreros welcomed a Nevada team that was led by sophomore guard Armon Johnson and former McDonald’s High School All-American freshman forward Luke Babbitt.

The game started with a Torero run led by a couple of three pointers by senior guard Brandon Johnson. In the middle of the first half, the Toreros welcomed back senior center Gyno Pomare from an unspecified suspension. The crowd erupted for Pomare as he made his season debut going 6-for-7 from the field with 12 points and four rebounds. The pace of the game was set by the Toreros, as they went 16-for-24 shooting in the first half giving themselves a 37-27 lead.

The second half started out slow for both teams, as numerous mistakes were made and no points were scored. That quickly changed as sophomore forward Rob Jones began to toy with the Wolf Pack. He was driving to the hoop with ease and draining shots from all over the court. Jones went 10-12 from the field, while adding 23 points and five rebounds.

Jones had the envious task of guarding Nevada’s star Babbitt, and shut him down allowing Babbitt to only score three points total in the game. “Going into the game he [Babbitt] was a big part of their plan. I have played him in AAU before, and I have had a little time against him. I got into his head a little bit, but he’s only a freshman so he still has time to grow. I wish him the best of luck,” Jones said.

Head coach Bill Grier was pleased with the Toreros’ performance, “I really felt there was a lot of good things. I didn’t feel we managed the end of the second half, but it was overall a very good effort.”

This week the Toreros will head to the U.S. Virgin Islands to participate in the Paradise Jam Tournament. This tournament is considered one of the best in the nation and includes teams such as Connecticut, Miami (FL) and Wisconsin. However, the Toreros are not going to get ahead of themselves quite yet.

“We need to have greater attention to detail, but you know we don’t get to play those teams until we win, so we are focused on Valparaiso right now,” Grier said.