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at San Jose State
12/5/2025 | 7 PM
Mountain West Network
Dec. 05 (Fri) / 7 PM
at San Jose State
LONG BEACH, Calif. – The Toreros led with 25 seconds remaining inside LBS Financial Credit Union Pyramid Sunday evening before ultimately falling on the road to Long Beach State, 76-72.
Freshman guard Brandon Benjamin led USD in scoring in just his third career game with 16 points off the bench on 7-for-8 shooting, in addition to three assists, three rebounds and a steal.
San Diego shot 52.6% for the game and out-rebounded their opponents by five – something the team had struggled with in recent games – but untimely turnovers late in the game were costly.
How it Happened
It was a slow-paced game on both sides to start but USD freshmen made an impact, particularly redshirt-freshman forward Gavin Ripp and Benjamin, making just their first and third appearances of the season respectively
Long Beach State got out to an early lead off turnovers
The Toreros then went on a 15-2 run, led by Benjamin and freshman forward D’Arrae Goodwin
At halftime, San Diego held a 38-34 lead, shooting 55.2% from the field and grabbing eight offensive rebounds
In the second half, grad forward Tim Moore Jr. finished off three consecutive and-ones, including a put-back poster, followed by back-to-back 3-pointers from his teammates to see a game-high eight-point Torero lead
The Beach stayed in the game through proficient shooting from three, a 40% clip in the second half and 36% for the game
Both teams would go into a scoring drought late in the game as both teams were scoreless for over five minutes
With 25 seconds remaining in a one-point game, Long Beach State freshman Gavin Sykes grabbed a loose ball under the basket and laid it in through contact to give The Beach their first lead in 26 minutes, Sykes’ 30th points of the game
The Toreros turned the ball over on their final possession with a chance to take the lead back as Long Beach State converted its free throws, seeing the game through at 76-72
Up Next
USD will move forward toward its second road tilt of the season, traveling to the Bay Area to take on San Jose State on Friday, Dec. 5 at 7 p.m. The game will be broadcast on ESPN+ while Voice of the Toreros Jack Cronin will have the call over the radio on USDToreros.com/watch.