USD to Try to Shake Inconsistency

Tonight, UC Santa Barbara will play a University of San Diego men’s basketball team that looked much better than its 3-2 record in its last game, an 83-67 victory over San Diego State Thursday night.

Against SDSU, the Toreros played a nearly perfect first half, opening a 43-12 lead at one point. But through five games, USD has been inconsistent, losing last week to Nevada-Reno and Montana State.

“Everything was clicking against San Diego State,” USD Coach Hank Egan said.

UC Santa Barbara (2-1) will find out if the Toreros are still clicking at 7:30 at Santa Barbara. The game is the fourth straight on the road for USD, which doesn’t return home until Dec. 23 against Rice.

UC Santa Barbara opened its season with an 87-70 victory over San Diego State before losing to Oregon State, 91-85. The Gauchos, coached by Jerry Pimm, defeated Eastern Washington, 88-67, Sunday.

UCSB is led by 6-foot 6-inch senior forward Khris Fortson, who averaged 10.1 points a game last season.