USD Moves Up to Next WCC Step

Pat Holbert began this season as a second-string guard for the University of San Diego. He’s finishing it a star.

Holbert, who matched his career high of 27 points, made a seldom seen four-point play late to give USD an 80-74 victory over San Francisco Saturday night in a first-round West Coast Conference tournament game at Loyola Marymount’s Gersten Pavilion.

USD’s victory, its first conference tournament victory in three years, means the Toreros will play Pepperdine in the semifinals here tonight at 7. USF, which has yet to win a tournament game in the four years of its existence, finished a terribly disappointing season 8-20. The Dons lost eight of their last nine games.

USD, which began the year 3-7, has won nine of 11 and 13 of 18 since late December. It improved to 16-12.

With USD holding a tenuous 67-65 lead with two minutes 38 seconds left, Holbert took a pass out on USD’s right wing and went up for a three-point shot. It went down--his fifth of the game to do so--and Holbert went to the line as not even Scott McWhorter could stop him with a foul. Holbert, the WCC’s fourth-best free-throw shooter at 84%, made the free throw giving USD a 71-65 lead.

Shawn Sykes (20 points) made his third three-pointer 20 seconds later as the Dons pulled within three, but USD made four of five and six of seven free throws down the stretch to ice it.

“Last year we would execute our offense awfully well and then teams would decide to double down low and we couldn’t really hit the outside shot,” Egan said. “Pat has added that dimension. He’s a very good shooter.”

USD had things going its way early. It used a 11-2 run to pull ahead, 18-11, nine minutes into the game. John Jerome made a basket and a free throw, Craig Cottrell a driving layup and a 15-foot jumper and Holbert a layup and a 19-footer.

USF struggled to get any continuity going and did not have a player with more than one basket until Sykes hit a jumper with 9:02 left. On the play, Jerome picked up his second foul and was out the rest of the half.

Joel DeBortoli, an All-WCC selection and USF’s leading scorer at 18.2 points per game, did not score until 10:13 remained in the first half. He finished the game with a team-high 23 points.

Keith Colvin, starting at center in place of Dondi Bell who has been slowed with an inflamed hip, covered DeBortoli early on. Then it was Dondi Bell, who swatted away his first shot. Dondi Bell also blocked a James Bell shot during USD’s 11-2 run.

With Jerome out, USF went on a 10-0 run and pulled ahead, 28-24, with 7:18 left.

That was when Kelvin Woods and Anthony Thomas took over. During the final seven minutes of the half, Woods scored nine points, Thomas eight and USF seven.

It was Woods’ driving layup with two seconds left that gave USD its 41-35 halftime lead.

Holbert had 13 of USD’s first 24 points making five of seven shots, including three of five three-pointers. Holbert, a transfer from Mesa (Arizona) Community College and an All-WCC honorable mention, was USD’s leading outside shooter this season making 45% (49 of 109) from three-point range.

Many felt he should have been a first-team selection. “I’m really not that worried about it. As long as we keep playing well,” Holbert said. “If not this year, maybe next year. The coaches that didn’t vote for me, I hope I get the chance to play against their team next year.”

“Next year I’m going for MVP,” he said laughing.

USD, which outrebounded USF in two earlier contests this season, had a 19-13 advantage in the first half and 37-30 overall.

USF was more aggressive after the intermission and pulled to within, 43-42, but Cottrell scored nine of the game’s next 11 points to provide some comfort for the Toreros.

Among two USF free throws, Jerome made a short bank shot, Woods a pair of baskets and Holbert a layup to give USD an 11-point lead (57-46) with 12:42 left. After DeBortoli and Jerome exchanged baskets, USF scored nine in a row and trailed by just 59-57.

But Holbert answered that with a personal five-point run over the next 12 seconds making his fourth three-pointer and a flying, left-hand slam after a steal at the top of the Dons’ key.

WCC TOURNAMENT

AT LOYOLA MARYMOUNT

FIRST-ROUND RESULTS Loyola Marymount 121, Gonzaga 84 Pepperdine 94, St. Mary’s 83 Portland 65, Santa Clara 62 U. San Diego 80, USF 74