THE SCHEDULE
Exhibition 2
at UC Riverside (0-0)
Saturday, Nov. 15 • 4 p.m.
SRC Arena • Riverside, Calif.
Live Stats • Live Video • Live Audio

PROBABLE TRITON STARTERS (2013-14 stats listed)
G - #1 Aleks Lipovic (So., 6-4/190): 26 GP, 28.4 MPG, 9.0 PPG, 2.2 RPG, 1.1 APG, .434 3PT%
G - #13 Adam Klie (So., 6-4/200): 26 GP, 27.7 MPG, 10.1 PPG, 3.7 RPG, 1.5 APG, 0.9 SPG
G - #23 Hunter Walker (Jr., 6-4/200): 26 GP, 28.8 MPG, 9.2 PPG, 4.7 RPG, 1.5 APG, 1.0 SPG, 0.6 BPG
F - #14 Drew Dyer (Jr., 6-6/215): 26 GP, 31.7 MPG, 12.4 PPG, 5.6 RPG, 0.9 APG, .353 3PT%
F - #33 Zach McMillan (Jr., 6-7/215): 16 GP, 15.1 MPG, 2.9 PPG, 5.1 RPG, 0.4 BPG

WEEKLY REWIND
UCSD was narrowly defeated, 68-67, at NCAA Division I opponent Loyola Marymount in exhibition play last Saturday. The Tritons held a 14-point lead in the first half before the Lions roared back, leading by as many as nine points in the second stanza. LMU held a 51% to 39% advantage in shooting and led 39-25 in rebounding. For UCSD, Drew Dyer recorded the lone double-double of the night, finishing with 20 points and a game-high 11 rebounds. He was 5-for-7 from behind the three-point line. Adam Klie contributed 13 points and Aleks Lipovic added 12. The Lions got a game-best 23 points from David Humphries.

WHAT DO THE COACHES THINK?
UC San Diego was picked to finish ninth in the 2014-15 CCAA standings according to a preseason poll of the league's coaches, released on Nov. 12. Cal Poly Pomona topped the list and was followed by Cal State San Bernardino, Cal State Stanislaus, Chico State, Humboldt State, Cal State L.A., San Francisco State, Cal State Monterey Bay, UCSD, Sonoma State, Cal State East Bay and Cal State Dominguez Hills. CSUSB is the reigning CCAA champion, while the Tritons placed seventh last season.

WHO'S BACK, WHO'S NOT SNAPSHOT
UCSD does not have a single senior on its 14-player 2014-15 roster. The Tritons return four starters from last season's team that fell one game short of a second successive CCAA Tournament berth. They finished 15-11 overall and an even 11-11 in league play.

Drew Dyer is back after averaging 12.4 points and 5.6 rebounds a game a year ago. Fellow junior Hunter Walker more than doubled his minutes played from his rookie season and was a stat-sheet stuffer, now as UCSD's leading returner in assists (tied-38), steals (26) and blocks (15) while having averaged 9.2 points and 4.7 rebounds a game. Adam Klie (10.1 ppg, 3.7 rpg) was the 2013-14 CCAA Freshman of the Year, while sophomore Aleks Lipovic averaged 9.9 ppg and held a .434 three-point field goal percentage.

Junior Zach McMillan (5.1 rpg) is expected to be in the starting lineup this season. Junior Treavon Francis (3.9 ppg) returns as well.

The Tritons lost their leading scorer and rebounder to graduation in James McCann and MacKenzie McCullough, respectively. McCann (15.6 ppg), a two-time All-CCAA selection as UCSD's point guard, left the program as the top assists man for the Division II era (469). He now plays professionally in England for the Leeds Force while pursuing a graduate degree. McCullough contributed 10.6 points and 6.0 boards per game before suffering a season-ending injury at SF State on Jan. 18. The other departed four-year Triton is guard Matt Bailey.

EIGHT NEWCOMERS DON THE BLUE AND GOLD
Among eight newcomers to the UCSD program this year are six true freshmen: George Buaku, Jordan Flannery, Kenny Fraser, Grant Jackson, Brett Oosdyke and Chase Ogden. Jeff Van Dyke is a sophomore transfer from Division I Pepperdine, and Tony Morman is a junior arrival from Ventura College. Van Dyke and Ogden hail from nearby Carlsbad in San Diego's North County. Buaku, Flannery, Fraser, Jackson, Oosdyke and Van Dyke all saw playing time last week at LMU.

HEAD COACH ERIC OLEN
Eric Olen is in his second season in charge of the UCSD men's basketball team. He led the Tritons to a 15-11 overall record and an 11-11 mark in the CCAA in 2013-14. Olen had previously served nine seasons as a Triton assistant before being named the program's 12th head coach on Oct. 1, 2013. Olen joined the Tritons as a second assistant for the 2004-05 season and was promoted to first assistant the next season. He was on the bench during the 2007-08 campaign when UCSD won its first CCAA tournament title and earned its first berth in the NCAA Division II Championship. As a player at Spring Hill College in Mobile, Ala., Olen helped the Badgers to three straight appearances in the NAIA National Tournament, including trips to the NAIA Elite Eight in 2000 and 2001.

FAMILIAR FACE BACK ON TRITON BENCH
Former UCSD standout and assistant coach Clint Allard is back in La Jolla this season. Allard was the Tritons' point guard from 2004-08 and remains No. 4 on the all-time assists chart with 414, and No. 2 for the Division II era behind only the just-graduated James McCann. He was previously on the UCSD coaching staff for four seasons from 2008-12. Having spent 2012-13 and 2013-14 at CCAA foe Cal Poly Pomona, Allard returned to his alma mater in late April as the program's associate head coach.

LAST YEAR IN PRESEASON PLAY
UCSD produced a pair of strong exhibition performances in the 2013-14 lead-up, both at NCAA Division I opponents. The Tritons first hung tough at Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) newcomer Pitt, trailing by just two points with four minutes left before falling by the final score of 72-59 in front of 5,813 fans. They then had four players pour in double-digit points and downed former Division II rival Grand Canyon in Phoenix, Ariz., 71-63. Among returners, Aleks Lipovic collected 14 points on 4-of-7 three-point shooting while Hunter Walker added 11 points and a team-high five assists.

ABOUT THE HIGHLANDERS
Saturday's contest will be the regular season opener for UC Riverside. The Highlanders have one exhibition game under their belts, defeating Holy Names, 66-49, at home on Nov. 7. UCR never trailed as Jaylen Bland (17 points, 12 rebounds) and Taylor Johns (16 points, 14 rebounds) each recorded double-doubles and Nick Gruninger added 12 points.

Last season, UC Riverside posted a 10-21 overall record and placed eighth in the nine-team Big West Conference with a 5-11 mark. Chris Patton led the team in scoring, averaging 13.0 ppg, while Sam Finley was second at 12.5. Both players are no longer on the roster. Johns is the top returning scorer as he drained 12.0 ppg last season. He also led the Highlanders on the boards, pulling down 7.8 rpg.

SERIES HISTORY
UC San Diego is 2-16 all-time against UC Riverside. Saturday will be the first meeting between the two squads since Feb. 8, 2000, when the Highlanders earned a 69-55 win in Riverside. UCSD's wins came on Jan. 11, 1997 (76-66 in La Jolla) and Jan. 23, 1970 (88-86 in La Jolla).

GEAR HERE
UCSD Athletics has partnered with Advanced-Online to provide a web-based, on-demand option for UCSD apparel and merchandise. Fans have access to over 600 products that can be processed and shipped within 24 hours. Visit the site at UCSDTritonsGear.com.

SOCIAL MEDIA - #TritonsRising
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UP NEXT
UCSD plays its first seven regular season games on the road, starting with Academy of Art on Nov. 19. The Tritons open their CCAA season at Cal Poly Pomona on Nov. 22 and won't play at RIMAC Arena until Dec. 21, when they host Cal Poly Pomona.

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