DIV 1

McKinney III Lifts USD to WCC Tournament Win Over Pepperdine

Behind some déjà vu-inducing, last-second heroics from Wayne McKinney III, five-seed San Diego men's basketball (18-14, 7-9 WCC) on Friday night beat eight-seed Pepperdine (13-20, 5-11 WCC) 57-52 at the Orleans Arena, advancing to the third round of the 2024 Credit Union 1 West Coast Conference Tournament after the junior guard drained a clutch go-ahead three with just 3.6 seconds remaining in regulation. McKinney III, a graduate of nearby Coronado High School, took the ball with the score tied at 52-52, the shot clock off, and 22.7 seconds left in the second half. He dribbled the clock down to eight seconds before passing to junior forward Steven Jamerson II, who held it for six tenths of a second then lobbed the ball back to him on the wing in front of the Torero bench. With 3.6 remaining, McKinney III took his shot from the same spot: a high-arcing three over Pepperdine guard Ethan Anderson that hit nothing but net on its way in and gave Toreros a 55-52 lead with 1.6 to go. The Waves' Jevon Porter inbounded the ball with a desperate heave down the court, but McKinney III was already there to intercept it and got fouled as he did so. After he made the ensuing free throws, USD had earned itself a thrilling 57-52 victory over Pepperdine, and had beaten the Waves on a last-second shot from McKinney III for a second time in 2023-2024.