LOS ANGELES - Chris Field scored 18 points and grabbed five rebounds to lead Cal State L.A. to a 62-53 victory over visiting UC San Diego in a conference matchup Saturday afternoon at the Eagles Nest. Senior guard
Jordan Lawley led all scorers with a season-high 24 points for the Tritons, but it was not enough to prevent the team's fifth loss of the season.
Cal State L.A. improves to 6-2 overall and 2-1 in the CCAA with the victory. The Golden Eagles have now won five of their last six.
UCSD falls to 2-5 overall and 1-3 in conference play with the loss. The Tritons had won two in a row entering Saturday's matchup after dropping four straight to open the season. UCSD swept the season series with CSULA in 2008-09.
Lawley finished 6-of-14 from the field and 10-of-13 at the free throw line to surpass his previous high of 21 points that came in UCSD's season-opener against Western State College on Nov. 20. He has now reached double figures in four straight games and scored 20 or more four times in 2009-10.
The Lodi, Calif. native also finished with four rebounds and three assists, but didn't get much help as the UCSD offense shot just 35% from the field in the game.
Tyler Acevedo scored eight points on 3-for-9 shooting, while
Casey Ryan and
Jake Tarabilda finished with seven points apiece.
Fields scored 16 of his 18 points in the first half as CSULA built a 32-15 lead at the break. The Tritons were able to close within 10 (38-28) following a pair of free throws from Lawley with 14:07 remaining in the second half, but the Golden Eagles pushed the lead to 20 on a three-pointer from Chris Robinson with 8:19 left to play.
UCSD answered with a 10-2 run over the next six minutes to pull within 55-45 with 2:06 left on the clock, but it was too little, too late and the home team held on for the nine-point win.
Cal State L.A. shot 42% from the field and outscored UCSD 26-14 in the paint.
The Tritons, who entered the game ranked second in the CCAA in rebounding, surrendered a decisive 50-24 advantage on the glass, leading to a 15-3 Golden Eagle advantage in second chance points. UCSD had outrebounded five of its first six opponents this season.
Fields finished 7-of-12 from the field, including 2-of-5 from downtown, to lead three players in double figures for CSULA. Carl Hoffman tallied 14 points and six rebounds, while Dwayne Jones finished with 13 points, four boards, and two assists.
The Tritons will look to bounce back against Cal State Dominguez Hills Sunday afternoon at the Torodome in Carson. The Toros defeated Cal State East Bay 65-61 on Saturday to pick up their first victory of the season.
