Vengeance Is USD’s in Victory Over USF, Toreros’ Sixth in Row

Do unto others is the beginning of a familiar phrase at Catholic schools such as the University of San Diego and San Francisco.

So the Toreros did.

Much in the same way San Francisco caused USD fits four weeks ago in the Bay Area, the Toreros won Thursday night in the USD Sports Center, 96-84, in front of 1,643.

All five USD starters scored in double figures, just as the Dons did in a 77-67 victory Jan. 20 in Memorial Gym.

That was also the Toreros’ last loss. USD has won six in a row and 10 of 13.

The victory kept alive their slim West Coast Conference title hopes. Loyola Marymount (20-4, 11-0) clinched at least a tie for the championship with a victory over Pepperdine Wednesday. The Lions can win it outright Saturday at Pepperdine.

The Toreros (13-10, 8-3) play host to St. Mary’s Saturday night at 7:30.

San Francisco (7-16, 3-7) has lost five in a row. The Dons were led by Joel DeBortoli with 28 points and Shawn Sykes with 25.

Those two each scored 19 to lead the Dons in the first meeting, when USD committed 25 turnovers. This time, USD had only 14, and San Francisco could not contain USD’s inside players, primarily senior co-captains John Jerome and Craig Cottrell.

Jerome had 24 points and a career-high 18 rebounds, and Cottrell scored 20, including 16 in the first half. Point guard Wayman Strickland scored 17 points, including 10 of 12 free throws. Pat Holbert had 15 and Dondi Bell 10.

“The team is playing really well right now,” Cottrell said. “Up there, we were really a tired team.”

Said Jerome, “When we went up there we looked tired, and we were. We wanted some vengeance. We wanted to get them back.”

After both teams settled into their offensive patterns, the pace was rapid in the first half, with the lead changing hands nine times after San Francisco’s Shawn Sykes opened it with a layup at 19:19.

USD led at halftime, 48-39, after outscoring the Dons, 19-9, in the final 6:32. That run included nine in a row, during which USD took the lead for good.

USD used an 8-0 run to push its biggest lead to 60-45 with 16:50 left. San Francisco pulled within, 78-71, with 5:22 remaining, but the Toreros scored six in a row. Strickland made six free throws late as the Dons fouled in desperation.

“They worked us inside pretty good. They’re pretty strong,” DeBortoli said. “They played a lot harder this time. Up there, they made a lot of unforced turnovers.”

In the first game, USD had one of its worst first halves of the season barely managing 22 points with seven coming in the last 1:30. Wednesday, it scored 48 in each half, outrebounded the Dons (42-23), outshot them (53%-48%) and had more steals (10-3).

The Toreros also made the big plays. Cottrell had a spectacular one-hand flying jam with one second left in the first half. Bell added a nice two-hand slam and ensuing free throw when he was fouled. And Jerome, he made numerous twisting-turning shots especially in the second half.

And Egan pointed out, most of those were started by Strickland, who finished with seven assists.

“We started out pretty good, then got down,” USD Coach Hank Egan said. “If we’d have gotten down like that in the early part of the season, we’d have folded.”

But not now. USD is rolling. Its winning streak is its longest in three years. The Toreros probably won’t catch Loyola Marymount, but they have the inside track at finishing second.