After one half of play, the No. 23 St. Mary’s Gaels lead the San Diego Toreros 32-24. The Gaels were led in the first half by strong performances from WCC Player of the Year favorite Mickey McConnell and sophomore forward Mitchell Young. McConnell has 10 points, 3 assists and 3 steals while Young has 14 points and 7 rebounds and is well on his way to his first career double-double.
The Toreros jumped out toe an early 10-2 lead as they were 3-for-3 from the field and 2-for-2 from the free throw line to start the game. However, McConnell and Young keyed the Saint Mary’s comeback as the Gaels used a 26-6 run to take a 28-16 lead. USD has stayed within fighting distance thus far thanks to 11 points from sophomore forward Chris Manresa. They’ve benefitted from the fact that outside of McConnell and Young, St. Mary’s has eight points from the rest of the team. If the Gaels get it going in the second half, this could turn into a rout.