LA JOLLA, Calif. ? Wednesday night proved to be a monumental night for the UC San Diego men's basketball program. The Tritons handed 6-time defending CCAA Champion Cal State San Bernardino a 57-55 loss in RIMAC Arena, the first win for UCSD over the Coyotes since moving to the Division II level in 2000-01.
The win also pushes UCSD's record to 12-12 overall and 9-6 in league play. The Tritons set a new program record for wins at the D-II level with its 12th victory, surpassing last year's total of 11 in head coach Bill Carr's first season.
Cal State San Bernardino falls to 11-11 overall and 9-6 in conference action.
The Coyotes led 9-2 after the first three minutes of the contest but UCSD clawed its way back into the game, knotting the score at 15 apiece with just over 11 minutes to go in the first stanza. CSUSB pushed the lead back up to six but the Tritons used a 13-6 run over the final five minutes to take a 33-32 lead at the break.
UCSD opened up the second half with a 7-0 run and maintained a lead throughout the period until 1:36 to go when the Coyotes tied the score at 55 apiece. UC San Diego freshman Shane Poppen made a layup off an inbound pass with 1:13 remaining to give the Tritons a 57-55 lead that would not change.
The Coyotes had four chances to tie or take the lead, but none could find the bottom of the net.
Freshman Henry Patterson had a game-high 21 points in the win while Poppen added 12. Patterson also pulled down six rebounds. Sophomore Clint Allard added five points, five boards and six assists for the Tritons.
Moses Gonzales led the Coyotes with 16 points on to go along with a game-high seven rebounds. Geoffrey Clayton added 12 points in the loss.
UCSD returns to action on Friday evening, hosting Cal State Monterey Bay at 7:30 p.m. The Coyotes will play the Otters the following night in San Bernardino. That game is also slated for a 7:30 p.m. tipoff.
