MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich. – Senior guard Ross DeRogatis came into yesterday's game against Central Michigan as the USD men's basketball team's leading scorer.
But it was his play on defense in the final 30 seconds that helped give the Toreros a 67-66 win against Central Michigan, the first road win of the season for USD (3-4).
The Chippewas (3-3) had three chances to regain the lead but couldn't cash in before time expired. Point guard Giordan Watson, who was guarded by DeRogatis, got a shot off at the buzzer, but it bounced off the rim.
“My role is to help this team win, not always score,” DeRogatis said. “If I have to score, I can do that; but if it's playing defense, I am more than happy to do that, too.”
The Toreros trailed 66-58 with 3:55 remaining but went on a 9-0 run to close the game. Sophomore Brandon Johnson, who finished with 13 points, made a pair of free throws to give USD its only lead of the second half at 67-66 with 1:31 remaining.
USD trailed by as many as 12 points midway through the second half but continued to battle back.
Sophomore forward Gyno Pomare came off the bench to lead the team in scoring with 15 points, nine rebounds and three blocks. Nine of his 15 points came in the second half.
“Gyno has been suffering from a groin injury and is about 70 percent, but he played inspired,” said USD coach Brad Holland.
Pomare was active from the minute he stepped on the floor, and his presence defensively changed the way Central Michigan attacked the basket.
“Gyno can be the star of this team when he wants to play,” DeRogatis said. “We are going to continue to try to motivate him to play, and if he comes to play like that every night he will make a lot of noise.”
The Toreros were sluggish at the start and looked as if the long trip was affecting them. CMU jumped out to a 17-6 lead before USD got on track.
A three-pointer by Ray Murdock helped spark a 14-1 run that gave the team its first lead of the game.
The two teams traded baskets the rest of the way, but Central went into halftime with a 35-32 lead.
Central had runs of 8-1 and 10-2 in the second half but couldn't pull away. Sophomore Danny Brown scored his only two baskets of the second half on three-pointers to keep USD close.
Central Michigan had a chance to win when Justin Blevins drove to the basket with about 10 seconds remaining, but he missed the layup. The ball was deflected out to Watson, who couldn't hit the jumper at the buzzer.
“That is why I have a great feeling about this team, because they keep battling back,” Holland said. “To travel this far and hang in is a great sign for this team.”
Watson led CMU with 17 points and nine assists, and Blevins added 14.
The Toreros had four players in double-figures and outscored CMU 36-16 off the bench. Johnson was second on the team in scoring with 13 points and had six assists to just two turnovers.
“This was a great win,” Pomare said. “We knew we had to fight and never give up, and we kept bringing it and got this win. We just hope we can keep it going for the games to come.”
