LOS ANGELES, Calif. - Junior Rodriguez had a couple of chances to give the Golden Eagles the victory and he came through as Cal State L.A. defeated UC San Diego, 61-58, in a thriller Saturday night.

The win snapped a four-game skid as CSULA improves to 2-4 overall and 1-1 in the California Collegiate Athletic Association.

Rodriguez tried to tip-in Gene Myvett's miss-shot, grabbed his own rebound and scored with 3.4 seconds left to give CSULA a 60-58 lead. Rodriguez, who was also fouled on the shot, nailed the free throw to give the Golden Eagles the victory.

UCSD lost to Cal State Bakersfield on Friday evening by a 51-49 score after the Roadrunners hit a jumper with less than 2.0 seconds remaining on the clock to seal the victory.

Jontae Vinson led all players with 18 points and 14 rebounds for his first double-double of the season. Myvett finished with 13 points while Rodriguez and Robert Reynaga each chipped in seven.

UC San Diego (1-4, 0-2 CCAA) had the upper-hand throughout the contest and its largest lead at 28-17 in the first half. The Tritons led by 10, at 42-32, two minutes into the second half, but Cal State L.A. took the lead, 45-44, at 11:23 on a free throw by Marques Hamilton. Moments later, Reynaga nailed his only three-pointer of the night to give CSULA a 48-44 lead.

The Tritons regained the lead with a 58-55 advantage with 2:39 to play, but a Myvett free throw and Vinson jumper tied the game at 58.

Darryl Lawlor led UC San Diego with 16 points off the bench while Shane Poppen added nine for the Tritons.

UCSD will take next week off from competition to concentrate on Final Exams that run from December 5-9 on the La Jolla campus. Following that, head coach Bill Carr leads his team back into action against cross-town foe Point Loma on December 13 at 7:30 p.m. on the PLNU campus.