LA JOLLA, Calif. ? After turning the ball over just 30 seconds earlier, sophomore transfer Kelvin Kim made a steal with three seconds remaining in regulation and got fouled after driving the length of the floor, setting up his game-winning free throw that gave the UC San Diego Tritons a thrilling 45-44 victory over visiting Cal State Dominguez Hills on Tuesday night in RIMAC Arena. Kim missed his first charity shot, but nailed the second, giving him 10 points in the game and the Tritons a very narrow margin of victory.
UCSD (9-10, 7-7 CCAA), which never trailed in the second half, went on a 9-0 run at the 7:11 mark to take a 42-33 lead over the Toros. CSUDH (8-11, 5-9 CCAA), however, answered right back with a 9-0 run of its own that knotted the scored at 42 apiece with 1:52 to go on the clock. The Tritons got two free throws from freshman Jordan Lawley to go ahead by a pair before Shamont Brown sank two of his own free throws for the Toros, tying the score for the fifth time on the night.
After the made free throw by Brown, Kim brought the ball up court for UCSD and threw an ill-advised pass into the post from the wing, right into the waiting hands of Mike Steed. The Toros immediately called a timeout to set up a play. Steed would take the inbound pass and penetrate into the middle where Kim snuck underneath and made the steal, using his head of steam to make it to the other end before getting fouled on his lay-up attempt by Steed.
Kim's turnover late in the game was only his second of the night and was offset by his game-high five assists. UCSD senior sharpshooter Robby Peters added a team-high 14 points in the win, 12 of which came by way of four 3-pointers in the first half.
Gabe Bernard led CSUDH on the night with 14 points while Brown added 10 points and seven rebounds. Steed chipped in with six points and a game-high eight boards.
Both teams struggled from the floor with each shooting below 35% on the night. Surprisingly enough, however, both teams did shoot the ball well from long distance as the Tritons made 9 of 19 from behind the arc while the Toros drained 5 of 10.
Only 17 turnovers were committed in the contest, nine by the Toros, leading to only 21 free throw attempts between the two squads. UCSD made 10 of its 14 tries while CSUDH went a perfect 7-for-7 from the foul line.
Head coach Bill Carr's squad will put its season-long 3-game winning streak on the line Friday evening, welcoming in the defending CCAA Champions, Sonoma State Seawolves, for a 7:30 p.m. tip-off on Spirit Night. A near capacity crowd is expected for the annual competition that brings together all six of UCSD's colleges.
