LA JOLLA, Calif. – It took two overtime periods, but the UC San Diego men's basketball team dispatched visiting San Francisco State, 91-86, in a gritty performance on Saturday night at RIMAC Arena.
Jordan Lawley scored a season-best 31 points, Christian Hatch established a new career mark with 16, and Casey Ryan put in 12, including a big three-pointer that forced the second overtime, as the Tritons erased a late six-point deficit to down the Gators in thrilling fashion.
UCSD shot better than 47% for the game and hit 6-of-13 shots in the two extra sessions on the way to the team's second victory in three games and fourth overall in 2009-10. The Tritons, who went 2-2 on a four-game homestand over the last two weeks, improve to 4-8 overall and 3-6 in the California Collegiate Athletic Association, while the Gators fall to 12-5 overall and 5-4 in the CCAA.
After Nefi Perdomo hit a jumper in the lane with four seconds left to tie the game at 65 and force OT, the Gators scored the first six points of the extra session and looked to have taken command. Tim Pratt and Phoenix O'Rourke hit consecutive threes to give the visitors a 71-65 lead with 2:39 left to play.
The deficit remained six at 76-70 following another triple by Perdomo with just over a minute left, but Lawley responded with a three of his own to cut the Gators' lead in half. After SFSU failed to convert on its next trip, UCSD got the rebound with 20 seconds left on the clock and a chance to tie. S
After a 30 second timeout, the ball went to Ryan with time running down and the junior guard rose up and drained a long three to tie the game at 76 and send it to a second overtime period. The triple was the first of the season for Ryan and just the third of his career and couldn't have come at a better time.
Lawley then scored the first four points of the final period to give the Tritons an 80-76 advantage and UCSD took control from that point forward. The Gators closed to within 83-82 on a layup by Perdomo with 1:22 remaining, but the Tritons would sink eight straight free throws -- four by Lawley – in the final 52 seconds to put the game away.
“I thought we played at a very high level tonight,” head coach Chris Carlson said. “We competed all night, we got production from several areas, and our intensity was really good. I thought we showed great poise in the first overtime and we were able to pull out the win.”
Lawley finished 7-of-16 from the field, including 4-of-6 from the three-point line to tie his career scoring mark. He also scored 31 points against Central Washington in November 2008. The CCAA's leading scorer also finished with six rebounds, a career-best eight assists, and three steals.
Hatch hit 8-of-9 shots from the floor in his best offensive performance as a Triton, while Ryan finished 4-of-6. Tyler Acevedo sank three triples en route to 10 points as UCSD had four players in double figures for the first time this season.
Marquel Hoskins scored 19 points on 5-of-8 shooting to pace the Gators, who shot just under 45% for the game. Perdomo and O'Rourke finished with 17 points apiece, and Pratt added 14.
SFSU held a narrow 42-39 advantage on the glass, while UCSD was plus-11 at the free throw line.
The Tritons led by as many as 11 points in the first half and held a 49-40 advantage with 11:28 remaining in regulation before the Gators used a 12-2 run to take a 52-51 lead with 8:21 left. UCSD led by four with 2:41 left to play, but O'Rourke hit a big three, Lawley missed the second of two at the line, and Perdomo came through for SFSU to force OT.
UCSD will face Humboldt State and Sonoma State on the road next week, beginning with a matchup with the Lumberjacks on Thursday at 7:30 p.m.
