USD MEN'S BASKETBALL: Toreros stun Gonzaga to earn NCAA berth

By TOM SHANAHAN - For the North County Times | Tuesday, March 11, 2008 12:38 AM PDT ∞

University of San Diego guard Brandon Johnson celebrates with students after the Toreros' upset of Gonzaga in the West Coast Conference tournament final.

SAN DIEGO ---- Gonzaga University dressed in white uniforms as the official home team, but the Bulldogs felt anything but the comfort of home cooking at the University of San Diego's Jenny Craig Pavilion.

It was 2003 all over again on Monday night as the Toreros' men's basketball team repeated the upset of Gonzaga five years ago at the Jenny Craig Pavilion to claim an NCAA tournament berth with a 69-62 victory in the West Coast Conference tournament final.

The victory over the 20th-ranked Bulldogs before a full house of 5,100 fans in USD's campus arena places the Toreros in the NCAA tournament for just the fourth time in school history.

"I'm so happy for these kids to experience an NCAA tournament," said first-year coach Bill Grier, a veteran of NCAA tournaments as an assistant for 16 years at Gonzaga. "I've tried to tell them there is nothing like it."

USD junior guard Brandon Johnson was named the tournament MVP after a three-game run that included scoring 28 points and playing all 50 minutes in the Sunday night upset of second-seeded Saint Mary's in double-overtime.

Johnson only scored nine points with three assists against Gonzaga, but as Grier said, "If he doesn't play 50 minutes Sunday, we don't get to this night."

Junior forward/center Gyno Pomare of El Camino High and sophomore guard De'Jon Jackson joined Johnson on the all-tournament team. Pomare had a double-double with 14 points and 10 rebounds and Jackson scored a team-high 16 points.

"It feels great to be the hometown kid," Pomare said. "I represent Oceanside first and then San Diego. It's a great feeling to be going to the NCAA tournament."

All four of the Toreros' NCAA tournament appearances have come under a different coach. USD's 21-13 record is the program's most wins since a 24-6 record under Hank Egan in the 1986-87 season that ended with a WCC regular-season title and an NCAA tournament opening-round loss to Auburn.

"I'm really happy for Billy; he's like a brother," Gonzaga coach Mark Few said. "They did a great job and showed character to come back the way they did against Saint Mary's. I think they used that as a springboard. They were playing on their home court with a chance to go to the NCA A tournament."

Both Grier and Few said Gonzaga (26-6) and Saint Mary's (25-6) deserve NCAA tournament at-large berths.

"It would be a travesty if this league doesn't get three berths," Grier said.

After USD fell behind 7-2 early in the game, the Toreros settled down to take a 30-27 lead at halftime behind Pomare's 10 points and eight rebounds.

But the game's turning point was midway through the second half when the Toreros went on a 14-2 run. They went from a 43-38 deficit with 13 minutes, 32 seconds left in the game to a 52-45 lead with 9:02 to play.

Overall, USD outrebounded Gonzaga 38-25, including a 16-4 advantage on the offensive boards. USD also held Gonzaga without a 3-point field goal in nine attempts.

"We had to take away their 3's, and having been in that program for a long, long time, I can't remember a time when that program didn't make a 3," Grier said. "We did a great job of taking that away."

Actually, the last time was 491 games ago when the Bulldogs were 0-for-5 on Jan. 27, 1993 at Portland. That was Grier's first year as an assistant.

It was USD's second celebration in two nights. The USD women, also seeded third, upset No. 1 seed and regular-season champion Gonzaga in Sunday's WCC women's final for an automatic NCAA bid.

Joining the women's on-court celebration were Pomare and Johnson, with Pomare lifting Amanda Rego, the women's hometown kid from Mission Bay High, in celebration.

"We're proud of the girls and proud of all the USD programs," Pomare said. "The football and volleyball teams were ranked this year. We're excited the women's team is going to the NCAA, too."

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