Preview: Toreros head to Spanos Center to take on Pacific

USD (7-10, 2-3 WCC) vs. Pacific (11-7, 2-3)

When: 4 p.m. Saturday

Where: Alex G. Spanos Center, Stockton

On the air: ESPN+

Last time out: USD out-rebounded Pepperdine 32-24 and turned 12 steals into 22 points Thursday in an 83-63 win over the Waves at the Jenny Craig Pavilion. The Toreros shot a season-best 54.2% (32-for-59) from the floor, including going 11-for-24 from 3-point range. It was USD’s largest victory margin in a WCC game since March 9, 2019, and its largest victory margin over a Division I opponent since Nov. 8, 2023. Guard Ty-Laur Johnson had a 16-point, 14-assist double-double for the Toreros in addition to a team-leading five rebounds and four steals. Adrian McIntyre led the Toreros with 16 points, while forward Assane Diop and guard Juanse Gorosito each had 10 points. USD led by as many as 24 points in the second half.

Series history: Pacific leads the all-time series 17-13, but USD has won five of the last six meetings, including a 66-54 win at the Jenny Craig Pavilion on Dec. 28.

Toreros update: USD has already won more games this season (seven) than it did during the entire 2024-2025 season (six). Several Toreros have been slowed by the flu this week. Four guards – Johnson (14.7 points per game), Gorosito (11.1), Toneari Lane (10.1) and McIntyre (9.8) continue to lead USD in scoring. Johnson had 22 points and six steals in USD’s win over Pacific 11 days ago. Gorosito had 17 points and Lane had 12, with forward Vuk Boskovic pulling down 10 rebounds and playing strong defense against the bigger Tigers.

Tigers update: UOP is 7-0 at the Spanos Center this season. Guard Justin Rochelin, who was the Big West Sixth Man of the Year last season at UCSD, had 13 points and seven rebounds with a strong floor game in the first game against USD. Forward Elias Ralph leads UOP with 17.4 points and 6.8 rebounds a game and had a double-double in the first USD game. Guard TJ Wainwright is averaging 13.1 points a game, while 6-foot-11 forward Isaac Jack is averaging 9.1 points and 6.1 rebounds a game.

Next up: Thursday at Seattle U, 7 p.m.

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