San Diego and Washington played for bragging rights Friday night.
The Toreros deserved them and the Huskies didn’t.
The teams, after the thrill of rivalry games, will meet Monday in Seattle.
The Toreros won 82-80 at UC San Diego as Ty-Laur Johnson made a 3-point basket in the final second. It was San Diego’s first Quad 1 victory in nearly seven years and its first road victory since the 2023-24 season.
“It gives us momentum,” Toreros coach Steve Lavin said. “We’ve had a few key players out (with injuries), but we’re getting closer to full strength and kind of transforming into a different group than we were earlier in the year.
“Musical chairs set us back a little bit, but we’re trending in the right direction heading into (West Coast) conference play. Now we have a big game against a Big Ten team in Washington.”
Johnson, a junior guard, leads the Toreros (5-6) with 13.5 points, 4.1 assists and 1.8 steals per game. Guard Toneari Lane averages 11.2 points.
The Huskies are coming off a 70-66 loss to Seattle University in the Battle for Seattle at Climate Pledge Arena.
“It felt like a Big Ten game. Our guys have to play better. They are,” Huskies coach Danny Sprinkle said. “Credit to Seattle U. They were the aggressors, they were physical.”
Desmond Claude scored a season-high 24 points for the Huskies (7-4), Zoom Diallo contributed 17 and Hannes Steinbach added 15 points and 12 rebounds. Steinbach leads the team with a 17.5 scoring average in eight games.
The Huskies, who have also seen several players miss time this season, lost guard Wesley Yates III to a hand injury in the first half. Yates, the team’s second-leading scorer at 14.9 points per game, did not return and his status for Monday’s game is unclear.
Without Yates, a sophomore transfer from Southern California, the Huskies shot just 1 of 15 from 3-point range.
“We knew Seattle U was a good team,” Claude said. “I don’t know…we have to watch the film and learn from our mistakes.”
–Field level media
