SAN FRANCISCO - Drew Dyer scored a game-high 25 points as the UC San Diego men's basketball team opened its 2014-15 season with a come-from-behind 72-69 victory against Academy of Art Wednesday afternoon at Kezar Pavilion.
UCSD (1-0) trailed by as many as 11 points in the first half, but led for the final 12:44 of the game.
"It wasn't perfect, but any road win is a good win," said second-year UCSD head coach Eric Olen. "We started slow defensively, but our guys managed to stay focused and string some stops together to get back in the game."
Dyer was on fire from the field as he drained seven of his 10 shots overall and six of seven three-pointers. The junior forward also added five free-throws, three rebounds, an assist, a block and a steal in 31 minutes of play. Fifteen of Dyer's points came in the first half.
Sophomore guard Jeff Van Dyke (Carlsbad/La Costa Canyon HS), a transfer from Pepperdine, finished with 11 points, making three of his five three-point attempts in his blue and gold debut. Junior forward Zach McMillan had a game co-high six rebounds for the Tritons.
UCSD out-rebounded ARTU, 31-24, but the Tritons turned the ball over 17 times while the Urban Knights lost it just nine times. Academy of Art scored 20 points off of Triton turnovers. UC San Diego shot 51 percent (22-43) for the game.
"Our offensive execution was pretty good when we took care of the ball," said Olen. "We have a lot of guys that make shots and that was important for us today. We have a long way to go, but this was a good way to start the season."
Academy of Art (1-2) was led by Yanick Kulich, who had 17 points and six boards. He was 8-for-12 from the floor. Alexis Moore contributed 15 points and five assists, while Jase Harrison had three steals.
A three-pointer by Harrison at the 13:07 mark of the opening half put the Urban Knights up by 11, 22-11. An 8-0 run by the Tritons cut the lead down to three, but with 7:25 left ARTU had pushed its advantage back up to 10. Once again, UCSD clawed its way back and a three by Hunter Walker with :05 remaining before the break left the Tritons down by just a point, 36-35.
The second half was back-and-forth until a three-pointer by Van Dyke at 12:44 gave UCSD a 48-47 lead and the Tritons stayed in front the rest of the way.
Twice UC San Diego would lead by eight points, but Academy of Art didn't go away without a fight. Down by two, 70-68, with just :04 left, Moore was fouled and went to the line with a chance to tie it up. However, he made just one of two free-throws. McMillan grabbed the defensive rebound and was immediately fouled. He sank both of his shots from the line to account for the final score.
UC San Diego remained perfect against ARTU with the win, coming out on top in all five meetings.
UCSD now jumps right into its California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) season Saturday as it travels to league-favorite and 19th-ranked Cal Poly Pomona for a 7 p.m. showdown. The Broncos are 2-0 with victories against non-conference opponents Westmont and Azusa Pacific.
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