LA JOLLA, Calif. – Despite a second consecutive double-double from
Jordan Lawley, the UC San Diego men's basketball team dropped a 66-62 decision to visiting Cal State Monterey Bay on Thursday night at RIMAC Arena. Shaun Williams scored a game-high 18 points for the Otters, while Davion Williams finished with 11.
UCSD trailed by as many as 12 points in the second half before storming back to take a 55-53 lead with 5:19 remaining, but CSUMB closed the game on a 7-2 run to hand the Tritons their fourth loss in five games.
Cal State Monterey Bay improves to 5-8 overall and 3-5 in the California Collegiate Athletic Association, while UCSD falls to 3-8 and 2-6 in the CCAA.
Williams scored 15 of his 18 points in the decisive second half, finishing 5-of-11 from the field and 2-of-6 from the three-point arc, while Berry scored six of his 11 points at the foul line. The Otters shot just 36% (20-56) for the game, but scored 23 points off 16 Triton turnovers and outscored UCSD 28-20 in the paint.
Lawley had another stellar performance for the Tritons, finishing with 17 points and 10 boards after tallying 26 and 10 in the win over Cal State Stanislaus last week. He was 3-of-9 from the floor and 11-of-17 at the free throw line and also finished with four assists and two steals.
Tyler Acevedo,
Casey Ryan, and
Jay Wey finished with nine points apiece, while
Justin Brue finished with three points, 11 boards, and two assists.
The visitors held a 42-30 lead with 17 minutes remaining, before UCSD came all the way back to tie game at 51 with 6:44 left to play. Ryan knocked down two free throws on the Tritons' next possession to give UCSD its first lead of the second half and Lawley's runner a minute later made it 55-53.
Acevedo's third triple of the game gave the Tritons a 59-58 advantage with 2:35 on the clock, but Berry drew a foul the next time down and hit two free throws to give CSUMB the lead for good.
UCSD had the ball with a chance to take the lead with 32 seconds remaining, but Lawley's potential game-winning layup missed the mark and the Tritons were forced to foul with just 19 seconds remaining on the clock. Two free throws apiece from Ian Hosford, Williams, and Kris Jones sealed the win for the Otters.
“I thought we did a really good job of keeping our composure when we fell behind by 12 in the second half,” head coach
Chris Carlson said. “We battled all the way back, but we just needed to make one or two more plays in the final minute and it didn't happen for us. You've got to give Monterey Bay credit. They weathered the storm throughout the game and earned a tough victory."
The Tritons shot just under 40% (19-48) from the field, but left 16 points off the board, finishing just 17-of-33, at the charity stripe.
Cal State Monterey Bay led 33-24 at the start of the second half, but UCSD scored the first six points of the period to pull with three. Williams responded with a four-point play after he was fouled on a successful three-point attempt and then added another three from the same spot to put the Otters back in front, 40-30. Berry added a layup to give CSUMB its biggest lead of the game.
UCSD is back in action on Saturday night against San Francisco State in the Tritons' final home game before traveling to Humboldt State and Sonoma State next week. Tipoff for the matchup with the Gators is approximately 7:30 p.m.
