RIVERSIDE, Calif. ? The UC San Diego men's basketball team began Chris Carlson's head coaching career in fine fashion, defeating Division I UC Riverside by a 67-61 margin in an exhibition game on Friday evening in the Student Recreation Center on the UCR campus. The game was Carlson's head coaching debut after spending the previous 14 years as an assistant and administrator with a four other collegiate programs.
After leading by one point at intermission, the Tritons pushed their lead out to as many as 15 in the second half before holding on for the 6-point victory. Clint Allard led the way for UCSD, scoring 20 points while Andrew Hatch, who missed all of last season due to a foot injury, came off the bench and added 14 in the victory. Henry Patterson chipped in with nine while pulling down a game-high seven rebounds.
Larry Cunningham led all scorers on the evening, pouring in 28 in the loss for UCR. He went 15-for-18 from the free throw line and while also making 6-of-12 shots from the floor. Christian Soto added 10 while Cleavon Barlow grabbed a team-high six boards.
As a team, the Tritons made nearly 48% of their shots from the floor while converting on 7-of-13 from long range. Allard and Hatch combined to go 5-for-7 from behind the arc while Alan Husted's only points came on a trey during a big spot in the second half.
Defensively, Coach Carlson's squad limited the Highlanders to 41% shooting from the floor that included a 1-for-6 night from long range. The Tritons also out-rebounded UCR by a 30-28 margin, allowing their opponents to only grab six offensive boards all evening long.
UCSD will play one more exhibition game this preseason, taking on Drake University on November 9. The game will begin at 1:30 as part of the Saint Mary's Tip Off Classic in Moraga. The Tritons will then begin regular season play on Saturday, October 17th with a 7 p.m. game at Cox Arena against San Diego State.
