West Coast Conference Struggles for USD

San Diego men’s basketball remains winless against the WCC

Chris Spiering / Sports Editor / The USD Vista

The University of San Diego Toreros came into the matchup last Thursday against the University of San Francisco Dons (USF) losing six of their last seven games and have yet to defeat a West Coast Conference (WCC) opponent at home. San Francisco came into the game winning four of their last five games. 

The biggest reason for USD’s lack of success was the four starters they lost due to graduation last spring. Isaiah Pineiro, Isaiah Wright, Olin Carter III, and Tyler Williams all left to continue to play professionally, both internationally and in the U.S.

There were roughly 1,600 fans in attendance to watch the Toreros host the University of San Francisco Dons on Thursday night. The fans were treated to an intense first half by both teams as it seemed to be a grit-and-grind defensive matchup. 

The first half didn’t showcase much scoring as both teams couldn’t find their rhythm on offense. It took USF exactly four minutes to get their first points on the board as the Torero’s defense forced two straight shot-clock violations. USD’s defense came out very aggressive early on as they were determined to keep the Dons from scoring. 

Although the defense came to play, the Toreros weren’t able to get any shots to fall on offense. Redshirt-junior guard Braun Hartfield got the scoring started for USD and the Toreros jumped out to an early 8-2 advantage after five minutes of play. Then, with just under 10 minutes to play in the half, the Dons slowly got their rhythm going and came back to take a 15-12 lead after a three-point shot made by senior forward Remu Raitanen. The Toreros would not lead again for the rest of the game. 

What kept the Toreros in the game for the most part, besides their aggression on defense, was the fouls called on the Dons. Toward the end of the first half, the Dons had over 10 fouls to allow the Toreros to be in the bonus, meaning extra free throw attempts. USD went 8-10 from the line in the first half. 

The first half ended with a five point lead for the Dons, 27-22 in a very low-scoring game. The Toreros only made seven of their 27 attempts from the floor. The team’s field goal percentage was 25.9%. 

Not only were the Toreros dominant on the defensive side of the ball, but the Dons were as well. USF’s defense was aggressive all night, as they held USD to a low 29.6% field goal percentage and an extremely low 8.3 three-point percentage — which is USD’s season low. The Toreros finished the game making only one three-point attempt. They went 1-12 in the game. 

The Dons had a little extra height advantage that seemed to help them when it mattered.   

“I thought they played bigger around the rim,” senior forward Alex Floresca said. “They had big Jimbo (Lull) around the rim, so that helps. Their guards are very athletic to get back in front of the ball but at the end of the day, we just have to convert.” 

The second half was all San Francisco as their lead got bigger and bigger. USD looked phased on offense as they kept turning the ball over. The Toreros turned the ball over 16 times but forced 15 turnovers from the Dons as well. USD scored 12 points off turnovers to the USF’s nine. The Dons extended their lead to 20 points with about six minutes left to play. 

Playing well on defense is what motivates the Toreros. 

“That’s what we do, we hang our hat on defense,” Floresca said. “We are a very defensive-minded team and I thought we played defense very well tonight. We guarded them well by forcing them to take tough shots.” 

Even though the Toreros’ shots weren’t falling, they remained determined to score and wouldn’t quit. USD continued to attack the rim and the offense created open looks. The shots just weren’t going in. 

The Toreros weren’t able to come back from the large deficit and the final score was 69-44. Hartfield had a team-high 11 points for the Toreros and hit the only three-point shot on the night for USD. 

San Francisco had three players finish in double digits for points. Redshirt-junior guard Charles Minlend finished the game with 21 points and 10 rebounds for a double-double. 

The Toreros are now 5-6 on the season at the Jenny Craig Pavilion (JCP) as they are determined to earn their first victory at home against the WCC. 

The Toreros know that they haven’t gotten the job done at home this season.  

“It’s extremely frustrating,” Floresca said. “But I still believe in this program, still believe in this coaching staff, and team. We just have to put our foot in front of the other and keep getting better.”

 The next home game for the Toreros is against Saint Mary’s College on Thursday, Feb. 6 at 8 p.m. in the JCP. Tickets are free for all USD students. The game will be aired on ESPNU as well as streamed via WCC sports.