UCSD VITALS
Overall: 10-6
CCAA: 8-4
CCAA Standing: 4th of 12
Home: 4-3
Away: 5-3
Neutral: 1-0
Streak: lost 1

THE SCHEDULE
Game 17
vs. Cal State East Bay (4-14, 2-10 CCAA)
Friday, Jan. 30 • 7:30 p.m.
RIMAC Arena • La Jolla, Calif.
Live Stats • Live Video • ESPN 1700 • Tickets

Game 18
vs. Cal State Monterey Bay (9-9, 5-7 CCAA)
Saturday, Jan. 31 • 7:30 p.m.
RIMAC Arena • La Jolla, Calif.
Live Stats • Live Video • Tickets

SPIRIT NIGHT IS HERE!
Friday is UCSD's annual Spirit Night, the culmination of Spirit Week on campus. Always the biggest event surrounding basketball games at RIMAC Arena, last year's Spirit Night drew almost 4,000 fans! Be there for the decorations, contests and camaraderie. The women's game starts at 5:30 p.m., so arrive early and be ready to show your Triton pride!

IN THE CAN
The Triton Athletes' Council (TAC) is sponsoring a canned food drive this week in conjunction with the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA). UCSD is competing against other CCAA institutions, with all contributions donated to the San Diego Food Bank. Bins will be located on the concourse at RIMAC Arena during this week's basketball games. Triton fans are invited to join with UCSD student-athletes by dropping off canned goods on either Jan. 30 or Jan. 31.

STAFF SATURDAY
Saturday is Staff Appreciation Night and all UCSD staff members are eligible for two free tickets, which will give two people admission to both the women's and the men's games that evening. To reserve your tickets, send an email to gotritons@ucsd.edu.

MASCOT MADNESS
Always a fan favorite at RIMAC Arena, Saturday is Mascot Night. During halftime of the men's game, several well-known mascots will compete against each other in various contests. Will King Triton come out on top?

PROBABLE TRITON STARTERS
G - #1 Aleks Lipovic (So., 6-4/190): 8.6 PPG, 2.1 RPG, 36 3FGM, 27.0 MPG
G - #13 Adam Klie (So., 6-4/200): 10.8 PPG, 4.6 RPG, .612 FG%, 1.1 SPG, 26.4 MPG
G - #23 Hunter Walker (Jr., 6-4/200): 12.6 PPG, 3.6 RPG, 2.3 APG, 28.9 MPG
F - #14 Drew Dyer (Jr., 6-6/215): 12.6 PPG, 4.4 RPG, .443 3FG%, .878 FT%, 29.8 MPG
F - #33 Zach McMillan (Jr., 6-7/215): 4.1 PPG, 5.4 RPG, .490 FG%, 17.3 MPG

WEEKLY REWIND
UCSD split its home conference games this past week, drilling Cal State San Bernardino, 74-52, before falling against Humboldt State, 83-73.

Jeff Van Dyke netted a game-high 16 points in the win against CSUSB, the Tritons' sixth-straight victory. Also hitting double figures in points for the Tritons were Hunter Walker (13) and Aleks Lipovic (11). Zach McMillan had seven rebounds. UCSD made 53 percent (28-53) of its shots on the night, including 59 percent (17-29) in the second half. The Triton bench accounted for 31 points. The win snapped a 12-game losing slide against the Coyotes.

The next night, six of eight HSU players finished with 10 or more points as the Lumberjacks snapped UCSD's win streak. Adam Klie and Walker each totaled a game-high 17 points for UC San Diego, with Klie also recording a game co-high nine rebounds. Drew Dyer also finished in double figures with 15 points.

A MEMORABLE STREAK
UCSD's recent six-game win streak equaled its longest since becoming an NCAA Division II team for the 2000-01 season. In 2007-08, the team won six straight twice.

IN THE CCAA
Standings
1. Cal Poly Pomona: 9-3, 13-4
1. Cal State Stanislaus: 9-3, 12-5
1. Chico State: 9-3, 12-5
4. UC San Diego: 8-4, 10-6
5. Humboldt State: 6-6, 12-6
5. Sonoma State: 6-6, 9-7
5. San Francisco State: 6-6, 8-8
5. Cal State San Bernardino: 6-6, 6-9
9. Cal State Monterey Bay: 5-7, 9-9
9. Cal State L.A.: 5-7, 7-9
11. Cal State East Bay: 2-10, 4-14
12. Cal State Dominguez Hills: 1-11, 5-13
Team Stats
Individual Stats

TOP TRITONS IN THE LEAGUE
Drew Dyer: .878 FT% (1st), 2.2 3FG/G (3rd), .443 3FG% (4th), 12.6 PPG (10th)
Hunter Walker: 2.9 FT/G (9th), 12.6 PPG (10th), 4.4 FG/G (10th)
Adam Klie: .612 FG% (3rd)
Aleks Lipovic: 2.2 3FG/G (3rd)
Zach McMillan: 5.4 RPG (10th)
Jeff Van Dyke: 2.1 3FG/G (6th), .418 3FG% (7th)

MEET THE TREYTONS
Through 16 games, UCSD has knocked down 137 three-pointers, which ranks second among all CCAA teams behind Humboldt State (147). The team's 8.6 threes/game average is tied for 50th nationally. The Tritons are shooting 38.8% from deep, tied for first in the league and 52nd in the country. UCSD netted a season-high 16 threes against Fort Lewis on Nov. 29, the most since hitting 17 against San Francisco state on Feb. 21, 2014. The Tritons are also effective guarding against the three as they lead the CCAA, having given up just 74 treys to opponents.

UCSDefense
The Tritons are holding opponents to 61.9 points/game, the 10th-best scoring defense in the country. That number ranks fourth in the CCAA.

HOLDING ON
To the ball that is. UCSD is turning the rock over just 10.9 times a game, the lowest average of all CCAA teams. Nationally, the Tritons rank 78th in turnover margin (1.9) and 97th in assist/turnover ratio (1.1).

POLL POSITION
In the most recent NABC national poll (Jan. 27), Indianapolis held on to the top spot and is followed by Lincoln Memorial and Florida Southern. No CCAA teams are ranked or receiving votes.

AGAINST THE RANKED
UC San Diego is 1-1 against nationally-ranked teams so far this season. On Nov. 22, the Tritons defeated No. 19 Cal Poly Pomona, 69-66, on the road. On Dec. 12, they fell at No. 17 California Baptist, 76-70. CBU is 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.

THE STORY ON DREW
Drew Dyer, who leads the CCAA in free throw percentage (.878), was recently featured on BennettRank.com. You can read the story, written by Brian Lester, here.

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. Seven of the games will be broadcast live including 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.).

WATCH THIS
Every home game this season will feature a live video stream with audio. In addition, all home games will be covered by live stats.

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 8:30 p.m. Fans can hear the show on the radio as well as online.

ON THE ROAD AGAIN, AND AGAIN, AND ...
Including two exhibition games, UCSD played its first nine contests of the season on the road. To kick off the 2005-06 campaign, the team played 12 straight away from home, which included three exhibitions.

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 PIONEERS
Cal State East Bay brings a 4-14 overall record into Friday's Spirit Night game. The Pioneers are 2-10 in the CCAA, 11th place. Their two league wins came against Cal State Dominguez Hills (55-53) and Cal State Monterey Bay (77-74). On average, CSUEB is being out-scored by 11 points, 74-63, by its opponents. Jack Pasquini is the team's leading scorer at 9.3 points/game, trailed closely by Jacari Whitfield at 9.2. Pasquini is tied for the CCAA lead in rebounding, averaging 8.8/game. Whitfield is handing out 3.8 assists/game, third in the league. Also third in the CCAA, Nick Grieves is hitting 2.2 three-pointers/game.

SERIES HISTORY
UCSD is 9-4 all-time against Cal State East Bay. On Dec. 6 in Hayward, Adam Klie and Hunter Walker each netted a game-high 16 points, with Klie hitting six of his seven shot attempts. Jeff Van Dyke contributed 12 points and Drew Dyer finished with 10. The Pioneers were led by Juawnn Springfield's 14 points. Jarred Jourdan had 13 points and Jack Pasquini led all players with 10 rebounds. The Tritons led by just a point, 37-36, at the half.

ABOUT THE OTTERS
Cal State Monterey Bay enters the week at 9-9 overall and is tied for ninth in the CCAA at 5-7. The Otters split their games last week at home, defeating Cal State Stanislaus (80-60) and losing to Chico State (78-56). CSUMB leads the league in rebounding (36.0/game) and ranks second in scoring (72.4/game), FGM (472) and assists (12.9/game) and third in FTM (259). Evan Zeller is averaging 16.1 points/game, second among all CCAA players. Greg Anderson leads the Otters in rebounding, averaging 6.7/game.

SERIES HISTORY
The series between UC San Diego and Cal State Monterey Bay is dead even at 11-11. UCSD has won five of the last seven meetings, but CSUMB has won two straight. On Dec. 5 in Seaside, Mateo Jones hit a layup with just under two seconds remaining in the game to give the Otters a 64-62 victory. The Tritons had clawed their way back from a 13-point deficit in the second half. Jeff Van Dyke and Aleks Lipovic each finished with a game-high 14 points, both hitting four three-pointers. Monterey Bay was paced by Evan Zeller's 13 points and Alex Fertig's 10. Zeller had six assists as well.

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)
UCSD Athletics on Instagram (UCSDtritons)
UCSD Athletics on Twitter (UCSDtritons)
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
After playing nine of its last 11 games at home, UCSD goes back on the road for the next two weeks. The Tritons are at Chico State on Feb. 6 and at Cal State Stanislaus on Feb. 7.

#TritonsRising