When you’re coming off back-to-back losing seasons with a combined 12-34 record and your roster features 10 newcomers, five of them Division I transfers, it helps to ease into a new season. Hence, USD opening Tuesday night, at home, against La Verne.
The Division III Leopards didn’t play last season because of the coronavirus pandemic. La Verne’s record the previous season: 2-23. And the team two hours north already sported an 0-1 record, losing to NAIA La Sierra by 22.
So the Toreros were expected to cruise and they did, routing the Leopards 103-38 at Jenny Craig Pavilion. It was the first time USD scored 100 points since a 110-103 double-overtime win against Drake on Dec. 23, 2018. And 65 points was USD’s largest margin of victory since the 1973-74 season when USD beat La Verne 134-68.
“I liked how we played in the second half (despite the game already being a rout),” Toreros coach Sam Scholl said. “From the first second all the way through. The starting group, I didn’t like how they played at the start of the game defensively. They got a second chance and did a much better job.”
The night’s loudest cheer came with 50.5 seconds to play when Dominic Muncey, a walk-on from Cathedral Catholic, hit two free throws to hit 100.
Four minutes into the game USD trailed 8-7. La Verne, though, is incredibly challenged offensively (15 first-half turnovers) and the Toreros quickly embarked on a 17-0 run for a 24-8 lead.
With 10:59 to play in the first half the lead hit 21. With 52 seconds to play in the half 6-foot-10 Pitt transfer Terrell Brown-Soares hit a fall-away bank shot and the lead hit 30, 47-17.
Five minutes, 34 seconds into the second half the lead hit 50, 70-20.
“The ball was moving, there was good spacing and they were creating offense for each other,” Scholl said.
Six players wound up scoring in double figures, led by Vladimir Pinchuk with 15. Soares-Brown and Jase Townsend each finished with 13. The others in double figures: Yavuz Gultekin (12), Joey Calcaterra (10) and Marcellus Earlington (10).
Thirteen players scored. All 14 players got in the game.
Of the five D-I transfers, four started: Bryce Monroe (Sam Houston State) at point guard, Townsend (Denver) at guard, plus Earlington (St. John’s) and Brown-Soares at forward.
Scholl has said the rotation may number 10 players and all 10 scored in the first half.
Up 49-17 at halftime, the Toreros outscored La Verne 15-1 in the first 2 minutes, 52 seconds of the second half.
Norcross is a freelance writer.
Up next
Toreros at Nevada
Friday: 7 p.m., Reno, Nev.
Streaming: USDToreros.com (audio)
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