San Diego defeats N Arizona 78-69

San Diego Edges Out Arizona in Thrilling Home Victory

The San Diego Toreros proved why they're a force to be reckoned with on their home court, defeating the visiting Arizona Wildcats 78-69 in a non-conference matchup at the Jenny Craig Pavilion.

Trailing by 11 points at halftime, the Toreros mounted an impressive comeback in the second half, outscoring Arizona 49-40. The turning point came when San Diego's Ty-Laur Johnson hit two clutch three-pointers in a row to put his team up by 8 points with just over 5 minutes left.

Johnson, who led all scorers with 23 points, also chipped in with four assists and one steal. Vuk Boskovic added five rebounds and four points off the bench, while Johnson's teammate and co-leader in scoring, Ty-Laur Johnson, contributed four assists to round out San Diego's top performers.

In contrast, Arizona struggled from beyond the arc, shooting just 35% from three-point range. Zack Davidson led the Wildcats with 19 points on an impressive 72.7% shooting effort, but it wasn't enough to overcome his team's inability to contain Johnson and keep up with San Diego's fast break attack.

The game was marked by a dominant performance from both teams in the paint, with each side managing to outscore the other 28-30. However, San Diego's ability to stay disciplined on defense allowed them to edge out Arizona in rebounding 28-28.

Advanced statistics painted a similar picture of a closely contested affair. San Diego shot an impressive 60% from the field and 48% from three-point range, while Arizona struggled with its own outside shooting, hitting just 35%. The Toreros also held a slight advantage in true shooting percentage at 64.4%, compared to Arizona's 59.3%.

The win marked San Diego's first of the season, as they take on the challenges of conference play ahead.