SAN DIEGO (Interstat) — In a game defined by a decisive second-half surge, the San Diego Toreros pulled away from the Pepperdine Waves for an 83-63 victory in West Coast Conference men’s basketball action Thursday night at Jenny Craig Pavilion.

A crowd of 809 saw the Toreros improve to 7-10 overall, while Pepperdine dropped its fourth consecutive game to fall to 5-13.

The contest was closely contested for much of the first half, with San Diego holding a narrow 39-31 advantage at the break. The turning point arrived early in the second period. Leading 44-41, the Toreros unleashed a devastating 13-2 run over a span of just three minutes and 20 seconds. The burst was fueled by the backcourt duo of Ty-Laur Johnson and Adrian McIntyre, who combined for nine points during the stretch, including a three-pointer from McIntyre that pushed the lead to 57-43 with 16:59 remaining.

Pepperdine, struggling with offensive consistency all night, could not mount a response. The Waves committed four turnovers during the Toreros’ run and never cut the deficit to single digits again. San Diego’s lead ballooned to as many as 23 points in the final minutes.

The Toreros’ offensive efficiency was the story of the game. San Diego shot 54.2% from the field and 45.8% from three-point range, converting 11 of 24 attempts from beyond the arc. They also dominated the assist column, dishing out 12 helpers to Pepperdine’s seven, and forced 14 Waves turnovers while committing only 11 of their own. San Diego’s offensive rating of 122.6 on 68 possessions starkly contrasted with Pepperdine’s mark of 95.8 on 66 trips.

Johnson, a sophomore guard from Brooklyn, orchestrated the San Diego attack with a double-double, finishing with 14 points and 10 assists. McIntyre, a junior from Sylmar, California, led all Torero scorers with 16 points. The San Diego bench provided a significant lift, outscoring Pepperdine’s reserves 38-23, led by 10 points apiece from Juanse Gorosito and Assane Diop.

Pepperdine was led by guard Styles Phipps, who tallied 18 points and six assists. Forward Luka Vudragovic added 12 points off the bench. The Waves were hampered by poor shooting, connecting on just 42.2% of their field goal attempts and a frigid 21.7% from three-point range. They also missed nine free throws, going 20 of 29 from the line.

The victory gives San Diego a positive start to the conference slate and snaps a two-game skid. Pepperdine, meanwhile, continues to search for answers during a difficult season, having now lost 10 of its last 12 games.

According to Interstat’s ELO system, San Diego entered with a 59% probability to win. The Toreros covered the pregame spread of -4, and the total score of 146 landed just under the over/under line of 147.

San Diego travels to face Pacific on Saturday. Pepperdine returns home to host San Francisco the same day.