LA JOLLA, Calif. - The UC San Diego men's basketball team led for a majority of the game but was edged late, 63-62, by Cal Poly Pomona Sunday at RIMAC Arena.
A 15-foot jumper by Terrence Drisdom with 19 seconds left in the game put the Broncos up by a single point, 63-62. With two ticks remaining, UCSD freshman George Buaku had his short jumper blocked by Drisdom, who also collected the rebound as time expired.
UC San Diego fell to an even 4-4 overall and 2-2 in the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA). Cal Poly Pomona, the preseason league favorite, jumped to 7-2 on the year and 3-1 in the conference.
Aleks Lipovic finished with a team-high 16 points for UCSD, which included five three-pointers. Drew Dyer and Adam Klie each had 15 points with Buaku and Klie both dishing out three assists.
For the Broncos, Jordan Faison was 10-for-16 from the field and led all players with 24 points. Drisdom finished with 16 points and Daniel Rodriguez had a game-best eight rebounds and three steals.
UC San Diego shot 42 percent (21-50) for the game, while Cal Poly Pomona hit 49 percent (24-49) of its attempts. The Tritons made nine threes, while the Broncos held a 36-26 advantage in rebounding.
A free throw by Zach McMillan at the 8:48 mark of the second half put the Tritons up by seven, 53-46, the largest lead by either team in the game. With 6:31 remaining, the Broncos took a brief lead when a Faison jumper gave them a 54-53 edge. On UCSD's ensuing possession, Klie made a layup to give the lead back to the Tritons, which they held until Drisdom's eventual game-winner.
The Broncos closed out the game with a 5-0 run, three of those points coming from Barry Bell when he was fouled on a made layup.
UCSD led 30-27 at halftime.
The teams split the regular season series. On Nov. 22 in Pomona, four Tritons scored in double figures as UCSD upset CPP, 69-66. The win snapped a 12-game losing skid against the Broncos, who were ranked 19th nationally at the time.
Sunday's tilt was the first home game of the season for the Tritons, who played nine consecutive contests on the road to start their campaign.
The team will play its next four at RIMAC Arena, starting with Cal State Stanislaus on Jan. 2 and Chico State on Jan. 3. Both games tip at 7:30 p.m.
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