Toreros Topple Mustangs : College basketball: USD wins its second consecutive game by defeating the taller Southern Methodist squad, 75-68.

Another taller team ran into the scrappy University of San Diego and came away with its nose bloodied as USD defeated Southern Methodist, 75-68, Monday before 1,231 in the Sports Center.

The Toreros won their second in a row out of the gate behind Kelvin Woods’ career-high 25 points, some clutch second-half baskets and 10-for-12 free-throw shooting in the final two minutes.

Against the Mustangs, who were 6-foot-11, 6-7, 6-7, across the front, the Toreros were swamped on the boards, 41-23, but held SMU to 44% shooting, drastically curtailing production from the front line.

The Toreros shot 68% in the second half and 53% for the game. They also made 23 of 29 free throws.

Reed Watson and Wayman Strickland each added 13 points.

“We’re taking good shots and everything was going our way offensively,” said Woods, who made eight of 14 shots and scored 17 of his points in the second half, when he was five for six.

The husky 6-6 senior has scored career highs in each of the Toreros’ first two games.

“I know I’m going to have to score but they say every dog has his day and I guess I’ve had mine the first two games,” Woods said. “I just try to take good shots. We’re not a bad inside team. We’re not exactly a puny team, and then we have a lot of good athletes. I think we’re a smart team, too.”

Coach Hank Egan, who has started Woods for four seasons, said Woods gets his points by knowing the system and through steady improvement over his career.

“Kel’s somebody we’re looking for, (but) there was only one play we called for Kelvin all night,” Egan said. “It resulted in a back-door layup. We executed better offensively than our first game, especially in the second half when we needed to.”

Jon Shumate, SMU Coach, said, “Those (USD) guys were hot and hit their shots. We got shots, they just didn’t fall. I think somewhere down the line they will.”

With USD runs of 7-0 to open the game and 6-0 to open the second half, the Mustangs fell behind by as many as 13 points before they narrowed the deficit behind their guard tandem of Chad Allen and Troy Dorner.

Dorner led the Mustangs with 17 points and Allen added 14, all in the second half.

Behind those two, SMU pulled to within five late in the game.

But with 1:46 remaining, forward Tim Mason was called for an intentional foul for holding Woods’ shirt, though it appeared accidental. That seemed to take the last wind out of SMU.

“I’ve only seen that (called) once before, and I was on the other end of it,” Egan said.

Shumate wouldn’t use that for an excuse.

“To call it at that point is a back breaker,” he said. “Especially when they allowed it to be physical all along. But on the road you know you’re not going to get certain calls.”

The Toreros scored the first seven points of the game then went into a five-minute scoring drought and the Mustangs scored the next five.

USD opened another seven-point lead at 14-7 but SMU finally drew even at 24-all in the final two minutes of the first half.

Michael Brown’s layup beat the halftime buzzer and gave the Toreros a 30-28 lead.

The Toreros spun off the first six points of the second half and built leads that reached 46-33 early in the period, but SMU’s guard tandem combined for 11 points in a 15-8 run and the Mustangs pulled to within 63-58 with three minutes to play.

They could get no closer.

The Toreros’ second-half accuracy at the free-throw line (19 of 22) was a marked improvement from Friday’s opener when they were 18 of 22 in the second half.

“We practice free throws every day and it’s coming up in our favor,” Woods said.