THE SCHEDULE
Game 3
at Colorado School of Mines (2-0)
Friday, Nov. 28 • 6 p.m.
Lockridge Arena • Golden, Colo.
Live Stats • Live Video ($8.00) • Tickets

Game 4
vs. Fort Lewis (4-0)
Saturday, Nov. 29 • 4 p.m.
Lockridge Arena • Golden, Colo.
Live Stats • Live Video ($8.00) • Tickets

PROBABLE TRITON STARTERS
G - #1 Aleks Lipovic (So., 6-4/190): 11.5 PPG, 1.5 RPG, .467 3FG%, 30.5 MPG
G - #13 Adam Klie (So., 6-4/200): 8.5 PPG, 3.5 RPG, .615 FG%, 25.0 MPG
G - #23 Hunter Walker (Jr., 6-4/200): 10.5 PPG, 4.5 RPG, 4.5 APG, 25.5 MPG
F - #14 Drew Dyer (Jr., 6-6/215): 17.0 PPG, 5.0 RPG, .667 FG%, .727 3FG%, 31.5 MPG
F - #33 Zach McMillan (Jr., 6-7/215): 3.5 PPG, 6.5 RPG, 18.5 MPG

WEEKLY REWIND
UCSD opened its season last week with a pair of victories on the road. Wednesday, Drew Dyer netted a game-high 25 points as the Tritons defeated Academy of Art, 72-69. UCSD trailed by as many as 11 points in the first half, but led for the final 12:44 of the game.Dyer drained seven of his 10 shots, while Jeff Van Dyke finished with 11 points and Zach McMillan had a game co-high six rebounds.

Three days later, UCSD broke a 12-game losing streak against CCAA favorite and 19th-ranked Cal Poly Pomona with a 69-66 win at Kellogg Gym. Four Tritons scored in double-figures, including Aleks Lipovic, who totaled 15 points, all on three-pointers. He was followed by Hunter Walker (12), George Buaku (11) and Adam Klie (11). UCSD, which made 13 three-pointers, led for most of the game, barring a short period in the opening half.

BRONCO BUSTING
As mentioned above, UCSD busted a 12-game losing slide against Cal Poly Pomona with its road win on Nov. 22. The Tritons' last victory against the Broncos came on March 8, 2008, in the CCAA Championship Tournament title game (64-56). The last time UCSD topped a nationally-ranked opponent was Feb. 18, 2011, when the Tritons dispatched No. 13 Cal State Dominguez Hills, 61-59, in Carson.

MEET THE TREYTONS
Through just two games, UCSD has knocked down 25 three-pointers. The Tritons drained 13 treys at Cal Poly Pomona and 12 at Academy of Art. Last season, the team hit 13 or more just once when it had 17 at home against San Francisco State on Feb. 21.

ON THE ROAD AGAIN, AND AGAIN, AND ...
Including two exhibition games, UCSD plays its first nine contests of the season on the road. The Tritons don't make their RIMAC Arena debut until Dec. 21 when they host Cal Poly Pomona.

POLL POSITION
UCSD is receiving votes in this week's NABC national poll, released on Nov. 25. West Liberty is No. 1 and is followed by Southern Connecticut State and Metro State. CCAA teams in the top 25 include Chico State (12th) and Cal Poly Pomona (16th). Both of this week's opponents - Fort Lewis and Colorado School of Mines - are receiving votes.  

LISTEN UP
For the fourth straight year, UCSD men's basketball games will be broadcast by ESPN Radio 1700. A total of eight regular season games will be aired on the radio and online. Jordan Carruth will handle play-by-play duties and various former Tritons will join him as color commentators. Six of the games will be broadcast live - 11/22 at Cal Poly Pomona (7 p.m.), 1/2 vs. Cal State Stanislaus (7:30 p.m.), 1/9 vs. Sonoma State (7:30 p.m.), 1/30 vs. Cal State East Bay (7:30 p.m.), 2/20 vs. Cal State Dominguez Hills (7:30 p.m.) and 2/21 vs. Cal State L.A. (7:30 p.m.). The other two games will be aired on a delay - 12/21 vs. Cal Poly Pomona and 1/23 vs. Cal State San Bernardino (times to be announced).

COACH WITH COACH
Second-year UCSD head coach Eric Olen will have a weekly segment on the Mighty 1090's "Coach" Kentera Show. Olen will join host John Kentera live every Wednesday at approximately 8 p.m. Fans can hear the show on the radio as well as online. (start date to be announced)

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, Chase Ogden and Brett Oosdyke. 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.

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.

ABOUT THE OREDIGGERS
Colorado School of Mines enters Friday's game at 2-0 with wins over Nebraska-Kearney (91-83) and South Dakota Mines (90-66). Gokul Natesan is averaging 18.5 points/game and Caleb Waitsman is just behind at 18.0. Waitsman also leads the team in rebounding, grabbing 10.0 boards a game. Three other players are scoring more than 10 points a game as well. Last season, CSM finished at 25-5 overall and placed second in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference (RMAC) at 19-3. They advanced to the NCAA postseason and went 1-1 at the South Central Regional. 

SERIES HISTORY
Friday's game will be the first-ever meeting between UC San Diego and Colorado School of Mines.

ABOUT THE SKYHAWKS
Fort Lewis enters the week at 4-0 with victories against St. Mary's (70-57), Texas-Permian Basin (101-97), Northern New Mexico (105-92) and Eastern New Mexico (104-72). FLC, located in Durango, Colo., is averaging 95.0 points per game and is hitting 51.5% of its shots. Center Alex Herrera has been named the RMAC Player of the Week for the last two weeks. He's averaging 24.5 points and 11 rebounds a game, both team-highs. In 2013-14, Fort Lewis went 18-10 overall and 14-8 in the RMAC, good for fourth-place in the 14-team league. The Skyhawks went 1-1 in the RMAC Tournament to end their season. FLC plays Midamerica Nazarene Friday before taking on the Tritons Saturday.

SERIES HISTORY
UCSD and Fort Lewis have met just once before with the Tritons taking a narrow, 76-75 win on Dec. 8, 1981.

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
UCSD Athletics on Facebook (UCSDtritons)
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UCSD Athletics on YouTube (UCSDathletics)
Head Coach Eric Olen on Twitter (CoachEricOlen)
Associate Head Coach Clint Allard on Twitter (CoachAllard)
UCSD Men's Basketball on Facebook (UCSD-Mens-Basketball)

UP NEXT
UCSD returns to CCAA action, playing at Cal State Monterey Bay on Dec. 5 and at Cal State East Bay on Dec. 6. Both games are slated for 7:30 p.m. tip-offs.

#TritonsRising