THE SCHEDULE
Game Seven
at No. 17 California Baptist (6-1)
Friday, Dec. 12 • 7:00 p.m.
Van Dyne Gym • Riverside, Calif.
Live Stats • Live Video • Tickets

PROBABLE TRITON STARTERS
G - #1 Aleks Lipovic (So., 6-4/190): 8.0 PPG, 1.8 RPG, 26.5 MPG
G - #13 Adam Klie (So., 6-4/200): 7.8 PPG, 3.5 RPG, .541 FG%, 2.2 APG, 26.5 MPG
G - #23 Hunter Walker (Jr., 6-4/200): 12.0 PPG, 3.5 RPG, 2.7 APG, 27.3 MPG
F - #14 Drew Dyer (Jr., 6-6/215): 12.0 PPG, 4.0 RPG, .586 3FG%, 31.7 MPG
F - #33 Zach McMillan (Jr., 6-7/215): 4.3 PPG, 5.0 RPG, .500 FG%, 17.0 MPG

WEEKLY REWIND
UCSD split two league games on the road last week, losing at Cal State Monterey Bay (64-62) and defeating Cal State East Bay (76-65).

The game went down to the wire against CSUMB as the Otters hit a layup with under two seconds left in the contest to win it. UCSD trailed by as many as 13 points early in the second half. Cal State Monterey Bay shot 52 percent to UC San Diego's 37 percent. The Tritons scored 28 points off of 19 Otter turnovers and had a season-best 12 steals. Jeff Van Dyke and Aleks Lipovic each finished with a game-high 14 points for UCSD. Hunter Walker had 11 points and Zach McMillan grabbed seven rebounds.

Adam Klie and Walker each netted 16 points to lead the Tritons past the Pioneers. Van Dyke had 12 and Drew Dyer finished with 10 as UCSD hit 52 percent of its shots, a season-high. The Tritons led by just a point, 37-36, at the half. However, they steadily increased the margin in the second half. With 3:55 left in the game, George Buaku hit a pair of free throws to give UCSD a 17-point lead, its largest of the night, at 71-54. The Tritons were 21-for-32 from the free throw line, both of those numbers being season-highs.

IN THE CCAA
Standings
Team Stats
Individual Stats

MEET THE TREYTONS
Through six games, UCSD has knocked down a CCAA-best 63 three-pointers, including a season-high 16 against Fort Lewis on Nov. 29. The Tritons are shooting 44 percent from behind the arc, which ranks second in the league and ninth nationwide. They are 15th in the country in three-pointers per game (10.5).

ON THE ROAD AGAIN, AND AGAIN, AND ...
Including two exhibition games, UCSD plays its first nine contests of the season on the road. This Friday's game at CBU will wrap up the long stretch away from home and the Tritons will finally make their RIMAC Arena debut on Dec. 21 against Cal Poly Pomona.

POLL POSITION
UCSD is once again receiving votes in this week's NABC national poll, released on Dec. 9. West Liberty is No. 1 and is followed by Bellarmine and Florida Southern. Also from the CCAA, Chico State and Cal Poly Pomona are receiving votes.

AGAINST THE RANKED
UC San Diego is 1-0 against nationally-ranked teams so far this season. On Nov. 22, the Tritons defeated No. 19 Cal Poly Pomona, 69-66, on the road. No. 17 California Baptist will be the highest-ranked squad UCSD has played since Feb. 9, 2013 when it lost, 73-50, to fourth-ranked Cal Poly Pomona at RIMAC Arena.

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.

BRONCO BUSTING
On Nov. 22, UCSD busted a 12-game losing slide against No. 19 Cal Poly Pomona with a 69-66 win on the road. The Tritons' previous 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.

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 LANCERS
California Baptist, ranked 17th nationally, brings a 6-1 record into Friday's game. The Lancers have defeated five CCAA teams and their only loss was a narrow, 68-67, defeat against Texas A&M Commerce. CBU is 1-0 in the PacWest after downing Dixie State, 88-81, last week. All seven of the Lancers' games have been in the friendly confines of Van Dyne Gym. Four players are averaging double-figure point totals, including Ryan Berg (15.3), Gelaun Wheelwright (13.0), Trevone Williams (10.4) and Michael Smith (10.1). Williams is pulling down a team-high 5.6 rebounds/game. The Lancers are out-scoring opponents 79 PPG to 62 PPG and have hit 79 three-pointers while holding opponents to just 22.

SERIES HISTORY
UCSD holds a 24-14 lead in the all-time series against California Baptist. The two teams haven't met since Dec. 16, 1999, when the Tritons took a 91-90 win in Riverside. UC San Diego has won the last four match-ups.

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 finally opens its home season when it hosts Cal Poly Pomona on Sunday, Dec. 21 at 4 p.m.

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