Toreros shock No. 21 Gaels

By: Tom Shanahan - For The North County Times | Tuesday, January 29, 2008 12:50 AM PST ∞

SAN DIEGO - Ah, so this is what it looks, sounds and feels like when the University of San Diego men's basketball team upsets a nationally ranked team before a raucous student section on its home court.

USD beat No. 21 Saint Mary's 63-55 Monday night before 2,787 at Jenny Craig Pavilion in a game that ended with junior guard Brandon Johnson heaving the ball toward the rafters at the buzzer and disappearing into a mob of students who rushed the court to engulf him and the Toreros.

The next time Johnson was seen, he was bouncing and laughing atop students' shoulders.

"That's my first time thrown up on top like that," said Johnson, a 6-foot, 195-pound guard who scored a game-high 25 points. "I thought I might fall, and I was nervous, but they carried me."

Saint Mary's arrived in San Diego on Monday as the West Coast Conference's only ranked team, having moved into the Top 25 for the second time this season earlier in the day. The Gaels (17-3, 4-1) left town in a second-place tie with the Toreros (11-11, 4-1), trailing Gonzaga (16-5, 5-0) in the WCC.

"I'll take this one over Kentucky," said Johnson, referring to the Toreros' Dec. 29 victory at Rupp Arena. "This was on our court against a ranked team. Everyone played their hearts out."

In the first half, USD didn't appear to have enough firepower to keep up, as Saint Mary's opened a 29-18 lead with 2 minutes, 33 seconds remaining before intermission.

But after junior forward/center Gyno Pomare received a tongue lashing from USD coach Bill Grier during a timeout, the El Camino High alumnus scored three unanswered baskets to trim the Gaels' lead to 29-24 at halftime.

Pomare finished with 20 points and seven rebounds as he led USD to its first lead at 36-35 with 13:18 to play. He hit back-to-back layups on pretty passes inside from sophomore guard De'Jon Jackson and freshman guard Devin Ginty.

The score remained close until the Toreros went on a 10-0 run to hold a 58-48 lead with 1:54 left in the game. Johnson scored eight of those points.

"In the first half, (Johnson) tried to do to much, and I got on him," Grier said. "But then he stayed with the offense. When he gets going, he's tough to stop."

Saint Mary's guard Todd Golden (9 points) echoed Grier's comments.

"Our coaches told us all week about not giving Johnson too many opportunities," said Golden, "and it came back and bit us in the butt."

First name only. Comments including last names, contact addresses, e-mail addresses or phone numbers will be deleted. Attempts to misrepresent your identity or impersonate any person will not be approved. All comments are screened before they appear online, so please keep them brief. Comments reflect the views of those commenting and not necessarily those of the North County Times or its staff writers. Click here to view additional comment policies.