SAN DIEGO, Calif. – A season-high 20 turnovers and 38 percent shooting by Portland led to a 92-58 rout at the hands of San Diego Thursday night at the Jenny Craig Pavilion. The Pilots (13-7, 2-3 WCC) scored just 19 first half points while allowing a season-high 47 to the Toreros (10-7, 2-2 WCC), who improve to 7-1 on their home court.
USD’s starting frontline of Brice Vounang, Brandon Gay and Nick Lewis combined to score 43 points and grab 23 rebounds, spearheading a 41-27 edge on the glass for the game. Gay led all scorers with 21 points and nine rebounds and was joined in double figures by four teammates. USD played 13 players, 12 of which scored in the game.
Portland shot a dismal 20-of-53 for the game, including just 5-of-19 (.263) from beyond the arc and 13-of-24 (.542) at the free-throw line. USD shot 57.6 percent (34-of-59) for the game, marking just the third time this season the Pilots have allowed an opponent to shoot above 50 percent. The Toreros also connected on 10-of-19 from downtown (.526) after entering the contest shooting 39 percent from three-point range.
“We didn’t defend well from the opening tip,” Pilot head coach Michael Holton said. “There was not a high level of intensity on our side, which led to an uptight and frantic offensive flow. When you don’t defend and try to get it back in a hurry, it can easily turn into a blowout.”
Sophomore forward Ben Sullivan scored a team-high 14 points for the Pilots, while Pooh Jeter and Karl Aaker added 13 each.
The Toreros controlled the game at both ends of the floor in the first period and outscored Portland 27-6 over the final 8:31 to gain a 47-19 halftime edge. The 28-point deficit at the break was the largest of the year for the Pilots, who committed 12 turnovers early and made just 7-of-20 field goals for the period. UP made 1-of-8 three-pointers and were outrebounded 20-8 in its poorest played first half of the year.
“This was an uncharacteristic performance for us, from the standpoint that our offense was so out of rhythm,” Holton noted.
Gay led the charge with 12 first-half points, while Lewis added eight points during the game-defining run to close the period. Floyd North III came off the bench and hit back-to-back threes to start the run. North III finished with 15 points, including 3-of-4 shooting from three-point range. Portland would get no closer than 24 points after the break as USD was on cruise control.
The road will not be much easier for Portland as they now travel to the Bay Area to take on the San Francisco Dons on Saturday, Jan. 22 at 4 p.m. The Dons are coming off of a 73-70 victory over the 11th-ranked Gonzaga Bulldogs and will enter the game 9-0 on their home court. The contest will be televised live on Comcast SportsNet.
