ARCATA, Calif. - The UC San Diego men's basketball team let a double-digit first half lead slip away as defending CCAA Champion Humboldt State rallied for an 80-69 victory on Saturday evening in East Gymnasium on the HSU campus in Arcata. With the win the Lumberjacks improve to 8-3 overall and 3-1 in CCAA play while the Tritons fall to 6-3 overall and 3-1 in league action. The loss snaps UCSD's program-best 6-game win streak at the NCAA D-II level.
First year head coach Chris Carlson's squad came out ready to play in the first half, leading by as many as 16 points before concluding the first half with a 45-39 lead. The second half proved to be a much different story as the ?Jacks took a 55-54 lead with 14:10 remaining in the game and never looked back.
Devin Peal and Grayson Moyer scored 22 points apiece in the victory for HSU en route to the highest point total that the Tritons have given up all season long. Moyer pulled down a game-high nine rebounds in the win.
Sophomore Jordan Lawley scored a team-high 20 points in the loss for UCSD, making seven of 10 shots from the field, including a 4-for-6 performance from long range. Henry Patterson and Clint Allard each added 13 points while Kelvin Kim chipped in with 11.
As a team the Tritons shot 50% or better from inside and behind the 3-point line on the night but were out-scored by a 20-8 margin at the free throw line, proving to be the difference in the contest. UCSD also held a 31-26 advantage on the glass but committed 13 turnovers in the game, 10 more than the Lumberjacks.
HSU also shot well from the floor, making 29 of 55 shots in its third straight victory over the Tritons in league play. Additionally, the Lumberjacks held a 16-2 advantage in points off turnovers.
Carlson and his team will return to action next weekend with games at Cal State Dominguez Hills and Cal State L.A. on Friday and Saturday evenings, respectively. Both games are slated for 7:30 p.m. starts.
