TURLOCK, Calif. - Senior guard
Jordan Lawley recorded his third double-double of the season, tallying 24 points and 10 rebounds to guide the UC San Diego men's basketball team to a 56-48 victory over reeling Cal State Stanislaus on Friday night at Warrior Arena. The Warriors pulled within 45-43 with four and a half minutes remaining, but the Tritons closed the game on an 11-5 run to win their second straight and sweep the season series with CSUS.
UCSD improves to 6-13 overall and 5-11 in the California Collegiate Athletic Association, winning consecutive games for just the second time this season. The Tritons defeated Cal State East Bay and San Diego Christian College on December 15 and 22 for their only other winning streak of the year.
Cal State Stanislaus falls to 9-13 overall and 5-12 in the CCAA with the loss. The Warriors have dropped five straight and seven of their last eight overall. UCSD has won the last nine in the series dating back to February 2006.
The Tritons have had their struggles on the road this season, going just 1-6 in their previous seven games away from home, but head coach Chris Carlson's squad turned in an outstanding defensive effort on Friday, limiting the Warriors to just 48 points on less than 30% shooting. Both were season-lows for a UCSD opponent in 2009-10.
"You've got to give it to our guys," Carlson said. "They really got after it defensively tonight and it paid off. Stanislaus missed some shots the normally make, but we worked really hard on that end of the floor and that was the difference."
Lawley played all 40 minutes for the Tritons, converting 7-of-12 shots from the field and draining a pair of threes to lead the offense. His 10 boards were a game-high. Casey Ryan finished with nine points and eight rebounds, while Bryce Alvari scored a career-high eight points in just 12 minutes.
Dwight Jones came off the bench to score 15 points for the Warriors, while Prince Abidoye, another reserve, chipped in with 11. UCSD's defense limited the Stanislaus starters to just 10 points on 4-of-20 shooting.
Alvari knocked down a pair of free throws with 7:06 remaining to give the Tritons a 43-33 advantage, but the Warriors responded with a 10-2 run over the next two and a half minutes to close within two. Abidoye was the catalyst for the home team, scoring eight points during the stretch, including a three-point play with 4:32 left that made it 45-43.
UCSD took a 48-43 advantage on a layup by Christian Hatch with three minutes left and Alvari's second of two straight buckets made it 52-46 with 1:42 left on the clock.
Jones converted two at the line to cut the deficit to just four, but Lawley answered with a jumper on the Tritons' next possession and the Warriors missed their final three shots as time expired.
UCSD shot 45.5% (20-44) for the game, including 50% (12-24) in the second half.
The Tritons will look to make it three in a row on Saturday when they travel to Chico State to take on the Wildcats. Tipoff is scheduled for approximately 7:30 p.m.
