USD’s Shots Fall, So Does Portland

The University of San Diego on Thursday looked nothing like a team that has been besieged by fickle shooting this season.

This is a USD team that sometimes has trouble making a third of its shots. But in a 92-76 victory over the running, gunning, University of Portland, the Toreros made 60% of their shots and not only matched the Pilots three-pointer for three-pointer, but outdid them.

The Toreros made eight of 14 three-point shots, and unveiled a secret weapon in point guard Geoff Probst. Portland came to town with the fastest gun in the West Coast Conference, guard Peter McKelvey, but Probst outshot him, making four of five three-point attempts on the way to a career-high 14 points.

McKelvey shot four of 14--only three of nine from three-point range.

With the victory, USD remained in second place in the WCC, tied with Santa Clara at 3-1, a half-game behind Pepperdine (3-0). The Toreros improved to 11-6 overall. Portland fell to 8-8, 1-2.

In front of 2,067 in the USD Sports Center, the game swung the Toreros’ way early in the second half, when they spun a 10-0 run to turn a two-point deficit into a 57-49 lead. Portland got back to within 57-53, but USD pulled away after that, working for numerous pick-and-rolls as the Pilots continued to flail away from three-point range, where they finished six for 20.

“They hit I don’t know how many three-pointers,” Pilot Coach Larry Steele said. “They made too many for us to stay in it, I know that.”

Working against a diamond-and-one defense designed to stop Wayman Strickland, the Toreros started their run on a three-pointer by Reed Watson. Strickland ended the 10-0 run with a three-pointer and a short turnaround jumper from the baseline.

After the Pilots pulled to within four, Probst hit a three-pointer, Watson hit another one and Probst added his fourth of the game--and third of the half--shortly after.

Strickland, who made four of six shots including both three-point attempts, led five Toreros in double figures with 18 points. Kelvin Woods had 16, Probst and Gylan Dottin 14 each and Watson 10.

Grant Tracy led five Pilots in double figures with 17 points, but Portland made only 29 of 72 shots, 40.3%.

USD Coach Hank Egan said, “I felt (at halftime) if we moved the ball, passed off a little more, we might get shots a little easier. (Portland’s) running game gets you into a flow like that and we got a little caught up in it in the first half. You have to play at your pace, do the things you do every day in practice. They’ve played a triangle and one all season on the other team’s best shooter. We just ran our zone offense, ran a high-low. We knew they’d be susceptible to the pick-and-roll. It happened naturally. The second half we were more patient.”

The only down side of the game happened with 37 seconds left, when Watson and Tracy faced off after a shoving match. The players were ejected for fighting, meaning they are automatically suspended for the next game under NCAA rules. Watson won’t be available Saturday against Gonzaga.

“It wasn’t like it was a brawl, but there’s nothing I can do about it,” Egan said. “The referee (Jim Stupin) said he has to report it as a fight.”

The rest of the Toreros were all smiles, especially Probst, who has been quietly upbraided by Egan recently for not shooting. “We sat on the bench at St. Mary’s with about 40 seconds left (in a 46-36 loss last week) and I said, ‘Geoff, if you don’t step up and shoot it, it’s gonna be a long season in the conference.’ I wasn’t sure if it registered.”

It did, but Probst said it was his mother, Janet, who drove the point home. “At St. Mary’s I felt like I was pressing,” Probst said. “My mom said, ‘Every day is another day, if you miss a shot, you miss a shot, the game goes on.’ She made me feel better about it. She’s always got some little saying like that.

“We’ve got a lot of guys who can score. We need one guy who can pass it. I’ve given myself up to get other guys the ball, but now if I’ve got a shot, I’m gonna take it.”

He took five shots Thursday, nearly double his average of three a game. The team gave him a new nickname. “They call me ballhog,” he said with a grin. “Now I might not give them the ball at all.”

It was Probst’s night to get in the last shot.