SEASIDE, Calif. ? The CCAA playoff scenarios continue to be shift, especially after the UC San Diego men's basketball team suffered an 84-66 defeat Thursday night at the hands of Cal State Monterey Bay.
The Otters shot 56 percent from the field and 52 percent from beyond the arc. Four CSUMB players scored in double figures, led by a 24-point performance from Juston Willis on 10-for-15 shooting.
Jordan Lawley paced UCSD with 18 points on 8-for-14 shooting while Henry Patterson scored 12 points and grabbed seven rebounds.
The Tritons jumped out to an early 10-2 lead just four minutes into the game but the Otters rallied back for their own 10-0 run. Midway through the first half CSUMB rolled off a separate 8-2 run to help build a 42-31 halftime lead.
Shane Poppen and Andrew Hatch, coming off the bench for UCSD, put in a particularly solid effort during the second half and fueled an 8-2 run to pull the Tritons within just two points of the Otters, 55-53, at the 10:29 mark. That margin was as close as UCSD could get though for the rest of the game and CSUMB took the victory, finishing at 11-9 in league play and giving the Otters a shot at hosting a CCAA Tournament game.
The Tritons, already guaranteed a spot in the CCAA tournament, dropped to 15-10 overall and 11-8 in league play. UCSD drops into a third-place tie with Cal State Dominguez, a team that pulled out a 88-79 victory at Cal State Stanislaus Thursday night.
In other league action, Cal Poly Pomona suffered a 64-63 loss at Sonoma State Thursday night. CPP's loss dropped its record to 10-9 and allows the Tritons to secure a home game in the first round of the CCAA Tournament if UCSD can defeat San Francisco State, also 10-9, on the road Friday night.
Tip-off between the Tritons and Gators is set for 7:30 p.m.
