LA JOLLA, Calif. - Tyler Acevedo scored a season-high 19 points and
Christian Hatch tallied 12 points and 10 rebounds to lead the UC San Diego men's basketball team to comfortable 67-48 victory over visiting Cal State East Bay on Tuesday night at RIMAC Arena. The Triton defense was the story once again, limiting the Pioneers to just 48 points on 28% shooting.
After losing five in a row from January 21 through February 4, UCSD has rebounded to put together its best stretch of the season. The Tritons have won three of their last four to improve to 7-14 overall and 6-12 in California Collegiate Athletic Association play with four regular season games remaining. Head coach Chris Carlson's squad is now tied with Cal State Stanislaus for ninth place in the conference standings, one game out of the final CCAA Tournament berth.
After limiting CSUS to 48 points on less than 30% shooting in an eight-point road win last Friday, UCSD's defense got the job done again, holding East Bay (5-18, 2-16 CCAA) to the same total on Tuesday. The 48 points is the lowest total for a Triton opponent this season, while the Pioneers' 27.6% mark from the field also established a new low for the opposition.
While Acevedo led three players in double figures for UCSD, no one finished with more than eight points for the visitors. The senior guard hit back-to-back triples to open the game and scored 14 of his 19 points in the first half to help the Tritons build a nine-point cushion at the break. He finished 6-of-14 from the field, including 5-of-12 from behind the three-point line, and hauled down seven rebounds, which was also a season-high.
Hatch recorded his third double-double in six games and fourth of the season, connecting on 2-of-7 shots from the field and 8-of-10 at the free throw line. The sophomore center has now scored 10 or more points in three of the last six after doing so just twice in the team's first 15 games.
Freshman guard Dylan Bohanan had a nice game as well, finishing with a season-best 10 points and five rebounds in 16 minutes off the bench. He went 3-of-6 from the floor and sank 2-of-4 from downtown.
Acevedo scored nine of the Tritons' first 16 points as UCSD took an early seven point advantage after the game's first eight and a half minutes. Hatch later sank a pair of free throws with 9:51 left to play in the period to give the Tritons a 21-11 lead.
CSUEB closed to within 26-20 six minutes later, but the Tritons scored five of the final seven points in the period to take a 31-22 cushion into the break.
It was all UCSD in the second half, as the Tritons open the period on a 12-2 run to take a commanding 43-24 lead with 14:26 left to play. The Pioneers cut the deficit to just 12 at 47-35 following a layup from Mark Samuels four minutes later, but Bohanan scored in transition and Acevedo sank his fifth triple, sparking another 12-2 spurt that put the game out of reach.
UCSD shot just 36% (21-58) from the field, but dropped 9-of-22 from the three-point line, 41%.
"It wasn't exactly pretty, but a win is a win," Carlson said. "We've got an important trip coming up this weekend, so it was good to get a victory at home before we hit the road again."
Samules and Jacob Noisat finished with eight points apiece to lead East Bay, while Ryan Parker had five points and 10 rebounds off the bench.
UCSD's victory came on a night when Jordan Lawley, the CCAA's leading scorer at over 20 points per game, was just 3-of-10 for nine points.
The Tritons will travel to San Francisco State on Friday night, before squaring off with Cal State Monterey Bay on Saturday.
