USD Hopes to at Least Match 1988 Split with St. Mary’s

Last season, a young University of San Diego men’s basketball team split its two regular-season games with a veteran St. Mary’s team.

Tonight in Moraga and Saturday at the USD Sports Center, an even younger USD team, last in the West Coast Athletic Conference, takes on more-seasoned St. Mary’s, tied for first in the conference with Pepperdine.

In their first meeting last season, USD lost at home, 41-40, in a bizarre game that included just six free throws attempts (USD made one of one, St. Mary’s one of five), no fast breaks and two missed field goal attempts by USD players with less than 5 seconds left.

USD’s Danny Means, with 22 points, scored 55% of USD’s points; Al Lewis (19) made 46% of St. Mary’s.

Three days later, in Moraga, USD upset the Gaels, 66-61, led by Efrem Leonard’s 14 points. St. Mary’s then defeated the Toreros in the first round of the WCAC tournament, 68-48.

This season, St. Mary’s (20-3, 8-2) has not been as vulnerable. The Gaels, with a starting lineup consisting of five seniors, are coming off big home victories over Pepperdine (77-49) and Loyola Marymount (95-81).

“They remind me of both Loyola last year and USD a couple of years ago,” USD Coach Hank Egan said. “They play an up-tempo game offensively and a zone defense where they put a lot hands in your face.”

Robert Haugen (13.5 points per game), Lewis (12.0), Erick Newman (11.9) and Dan Curry (10.7) lead St. Mary’s scoring. The Gaels are third in the NCAA in scoring defense (allowing 58.2 points per game), fourth in scoring margin (plus 20.1 points) and fourth in field goal percentage (54%).

USD (6-16, 1-9), on a four-game losing streak after dropping consecutive games to Pepperdine and Loyola, is led by Craig Cottrell (13.2 points), Gylan Dottin (12.8) and Danny Means (10.7).

Cottrell has been particularly hot, with 12, 26, 26 and 25 points in USD’s past four games while making 82% (36 for 44) from the floor.

“He has been somewhere in the vicinity of greatness,” Egan said. “He’s found a way to get the ball to the basket. Very honestly, without his inside play, it would be awfully hard for us to challenge anybody.”