Here's an article on the game from the San Diego Union-Tribune:
www.signonsandiego.com/uniontrib/20070116/news_1s16usdmen.html Toreros pass road test, snuff out Lions comebackBy Hank Wesch
STAFF WRITER
January 16, 2007
LOS ANGELES – The USD men's basketball team might not have a killer instinct, but it does have a 2-1 record in the West Coast Conference after opening the season with three games on the road.
And that will do for coach Brad Holland and the Toreros until a killer instinct comes along.
USD played a superb first half to build a 14-point lead at the break, then survived a frantic comeback to defeat Loyola Marymount 79-74 last night before 1,608 at Gersten Pavilion to complete a sweep of the league trip to the Los Angeles area. The Toreros held off Pepperdine 71-67 on Saturday at Malibu.
“All I can say is, 'Mission accomplished,' ” Holland said. “We truly set out to win these two games on the road. To be 2-1 as the only team to start with three games on the road, we're on the right track to be a player in the conference race.”
The Toreros got 25 points from Ross DeRogatis and 19 apiece from point guard Brandon Johnson and center Gyno Pomare in completing an L.A.-trip sweep for the first time since 2003 and for the third time in Holland's 13 seasons as the team's head coach.
USD (12-6, 2-1) opened the WCC season with a double-overtime loss at San Francisco.
“That (USF game) was one of the toughest losses I've ever had as a player,” DeRogatis said. “For us to come back and win these two shows a lot of character.”
The Toreros were sharp in all phases, but especially shooting, in the first half and put LMU in a 42-28 hole at the break.
Pomare and DeRogatis were the sharpshooters as USD hit at 70.8 percent (17-for-24) overall and 4-for-7 on three-point attempts. USD hit eight of its first 10 shots, and back-to-back three-pointers by DeRogatis capped a 10-0 run that produced an 18-9 Toreros advantage 11:54 before halftime.
Seven minutes later, Pomare was 6-for-6, DeRogatis 5-for-5 on the evening and the Toreros 14-for-18 and holding a 30-19 lead. LMU cut it to 35-28 before USD scored the last seven points of the half.
DeRogatis' halftime line was 5-for-5 overall, 4-for-4 from three-point range and 2-for-2 at the free throw line for 16 points with three assists and no turnovers.
Pomare, who established an inside presence for USD by hitting short turnaround jumpers for eight of USD's first 10 points, had 13 at halftime with one miss in seven shots from the field and was 1-for-2 at the free throw line.
Loyola (8-12, 0-4), a team besieged with injuries this season after being picked second in the WCC preseason poll and loser of six in a row, fought hard to make up the deficit in the second half.
Senior guard Adoyah Miller, who has been forced to pick up the slack for the loss of All-WCC guard Brandon Worthy for the season with a knee injury, had a second half to top DeRogatis' first for USD.
A 6-foot-5, 205-pounder, Miller hit six three-pointers in the second half en route to a 23-point night to lead the Lions. The last Miller three-pointer pulled the Lions to within 64-61 with 4:51 to play before DeRogatis and Johnson sparked an 11-4 run that restored the Toreros to a 75-65 lead with 2:50 to play.
Still, Loyola came back to get within 75-72 on a three-pointer by Derrick Grubb with 1:14 to play.
USD got a big break in the final 40 seconds when a three-point shot by Johnson that was headed out of bounds was saved by Chris Lewis to Nir Cohen, keeping the possession alive. Johnson, DeRogatis and Daniel Fleming combined to hit 4-of-6 free throws in the final 30.4 seconds while all LMU could produce in that time was one basket.
Really a stunning performance in the second half from Miller, that's hot shooting.
