LOS ANGELES - The UC San Diego men's basketball team won its fourth straight game Friday night, defeating league rival Cal State L.A., 67-56, at the Eagles Nest.
The Golden Eagles scored the first two points of the game, but the Tritons quickly went ahead on their first possession as Drew Dyer hit a three-pointer. UCSD would not trail again.
CSULA tied it up three times before the first half came to a close. With 4:38 left until the break, Adam Klie hit a free throw to put UCSD up 19-18. The Tritons led for the rest of the game and held a 24-20 advantage at halftime.
Cal State L.A. cut UC San Diego's lead to two points with 15 minutes left, but the Tritons took command and went on a 21-6 run to essentially the victory.
Aleks Lipovic, who hit five of his six three-point attempts in the game, drilled one with 3:10 remaining in the game to put UCSD up by 16, 59-43, its largest lead of the night.
Lipovic finished with a game-high 15 points to go along with four rebounds in just 24 minutes of play. Klie had 13 points and a team-best six rebounds, while Hunter Walker had 11 points and four assists.
UCSD shot 45 percent and made nine of 20 three-pointers. The Tritons turned the ball over just seven times in the game.
The Golden Eagles were led by LaBradford Franklin, who had 14 points, a game-high seven boards and four assists. He was 5-for-5 from the field.
CSULA made just eight of 22 free throws.
The Tritons improved to 8-5 overall and 6-3 in the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA). The four-game win streak is the team's longest since the 2012-13 season.
Cal State L.A. fell to 6-7 and 4-5
UCSD plays at Cal State Dominguez Hills (4-11, 0-9) Saturday at 7:30 p.m. The Toros remained winless with a 59-46 loss against Cal Poly Pomona Friday.
#TritonsRising
