GOLDEN, Colo. - Five players scored in double figures as the UC San Diego men's basketball team defeated Fort Lewis, 83-71, Saturday in non-conference action at Lockridge Arena on the campus of Colorado School of Mines.
UCSD is now 3-1 on the season, while FLC lost its first game and dropped to 5-1. Both teams received votes in the most recent National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) national poll.
Triton forward Drew Dyer led all players with 22 points. He was 8-for-10 overall from the field and made five of his seven three-point attempts.
Also finishing with 10 or more points for UCSD were Adam Klie (14), Jeff Van Dyke (12), Jordan Flannery (11) and Hunter Walker (10).
UCSD's bench accounted for 29 points.
After shooting just 29 percent in a loss against Colorado School of Mines Friday, UCSD made 51 percent of its shots against the Skyhawks, which included a season-high 16 three-pointers. The Tritons turned the ball over just nine times and scored 26 points off of 17 Fort Lewis turnovers.
"I was pleased with the way we responded tonight," said UCSD head coach Eric Olen. "We played with terrific energy. Offensively, we did a better job of taking care of the ball and making the extra pass."
Four Skyhawks hit double-figure point totals including Rasmus Bach (14), Alex Herrera (11), Cade Kloster (10) and Jared Smith (10). Herrera completed a double-double by adding a game-high 11 rebounds.
Fort Lewis was 17-for-21 from the free throw line, while UC San Diego was 5-for-5.
The Skyhawks led by five points early in the game until a Dyer three at the 14:32 mark of the opening half gave the Tritons an 11-10 advantage. UCSD continued to pile it on and a Van Dyke trey with 31 seconds to go in the half put the Tritons up by 12, 37-25. They led 37-27 at the break.
Down by 14 points in the beginning stages of the second half, the Skyhawks came back and actually led by three, 51-48, with 11:21 left in the game. Tied at 59-59 with 7:13 remaining, Klie nailed a three to put UCSD up for good.
In the midst of a seven-game road swing, UCSD returns to California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) action next week. The Tritons play at Cal State Monterey Bay on Dec. 5 and at Cal State East Bay on Dec. 6. Both contests are slated for 7:30 p.m. tips.
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