USD wins overtime thriller

Men’s basketball defeats the Portland Pilots 88-81 in a comeback OT victory

Maria Watters / Asst. Sports Editor / The USD Vista

The USD men’s basketball team ended their four-game losing streak after defeating the Portland Pilots 88-81 in an intense, nail-biting double-overtime (OT) contest Saturday night at the Jenny Craig Pavilion (JCP). 

Both the Toreros (8-17, 2-8 WCC) and the Pilots (9-16, 1-9 WCC) entered Saturday’s game hungry for a win. With both teams fighting to earn their first win in weeks, one thing was clear: one team would leave the JCP victorious, and the other’s losing streak would continue. The stakes were high, and with over a thousand fans in attendance, the faceoff between the Toreros and the Pilots was stacking up to be a battle.

 The gymnasium was buzzing as the Toreros won the jump ball. But after two missed jump shots and a foul by redshirt-senior forward Alex Floresca, the Pilots jumped out to a quick 4-0 lead. USD managed to close the gap to 5-6 by the first media timeout; however, and a momentum shift was in the air.

Coming out of the timeout, the Toreros took the lead 11-9 and held it for the rest of the half. After the first twenty minutes of play, USD led UP 30-22 with both teams shooting under 40% with three point percentages under 20%. But despite the low shooting accuracy, the Toreros would enter the second half with an eight-point lead.

The Toreros were able to fend off the Pilots for the first five minutes of the second half. But slowly UP was able to close the gap and tied the game at 41-41 before retaking the lead. 

The pressure was on for USD as they were forced to play from behind for the majority of the second half. As the clock wound down with the Pilots still maintaining a lead, it seemed as though the Toreros’ losing streak would continue. But USD wasn’t going down without a fight. People had come to witness a battle, and were about to see a war. 

After the last media timeout, redshirt-sophomore guard Joey Calcaterra tied the score at 61-61 with just under four minutes left to play. Both teams exchanged baskets, with the Pilots able to stay just ahead of the Toreros. As the last minute started counting down, two fouls by the Toreros on junior Tahirou Diabate and redshirt sophomore Takiula Fahrensohn gave UP a three-point lead with just 13 seconds left. 

The Toreros sprinted down the court with six seconds remaining. Calcaterra, who scored 19 points in just the second half, launched the ball from center court and nailed a three-point field goal to tie the game at 68. 

The crowd erupted as every Torero fan jumped to their feet and cheered. The game was going to overtime.

Overtime started as the Toreros and Pilots went back-and-forth scoring for the first few minutes of OT. Redshirt-junior guard Braun Hartfield gave the Toreros a 73-70 lead after nailing a three-pointer. Although, the Pilots took control back as they scored on consecutive possessions, making the score 74-73. Hartfield sunk a free throw with 32 seconds remaining to send the game into double overtime. 

Saturday’s contest wouldn’t be decided in the first round of overtime. Neither team was able to silence the other as the score remained tied 74-74 after five additional minutes of play.

 But after the second round of overtime, someone would be crowned victor. The Toreros were able to jump to an early lead, outscoring the Pilots 11 to 5, finally closing out the game after just under two and a half hours. USD out-rebounded Portland 21-18 in the second half and OT to help secure the victory. 

The USD men’s basketball losing streak ended as the Toreros advanced to 9-17 (2-9 WCC)  on the season. 

Junior forward Yauhen (Squirrel) Massalski surpassed his career high in points by scoring 19 to help the Toreros defeat the Pilots. His previous career high was 17. Hartfield finished with a game-high 23 points in 48 minutes.

Calcaterra scored all 19 of his points in the second half and overtime, including the game-tying shot in the final seconds to force OT. Redshirt-first year guard Marion Humphrey had a career-high eight assists and only one turnover. Junior forward James Jean-Marie also contributed with 11 points on 5-9 shooting. 

USD had nine steals as a team, which is the most since they had 10 against Stanford earlier this season in December. 

 San Diego will go on the road to face Pepperdine University this Thursday, Feb. 13. The next home game for the Toreros is against Brigham Young University (BYU) this Saturday, Feb. 15 and will be streamed on CBS Sports Network. 

USD defeated BYU 80-57 in the WCC tournament last season, but the Cougars defeated the Toreros earlier this season 93-70. 

Tickets are free for all USD students.