IRVINE, Calif. - Aleks Lipovic had a game-high 16 points for UC San Diego, but the Tritons fell by a score of 89-73 to UC Irvine in a men's basketball exhibition Friday night at the Bren Events Center.
UCSD had a sluggish first half, making just 32 percent (9-28) of its shots to trail by 20 points, 46-26, at halftime. However, the Tritons shot 44 percent (15-34) in the second frame and cut the deficit to 12 points with under five minutes remaining.
"We were a little bit shaky to start, but I thought in the second half we came out and played with a lot more aggression," said third-year UC San Diego head coach Eric Olen. "We were able to do more of the things we wanted to do and looked a lot more like the team we want to be going forward."
Lipovic was 6-for-7 overall from the field and drained four of his five three-point attempts. Drew Dyer also finished in double-figures, netting 10 points to go along with four rebounds. Adam Klie had nine points and a team-best five boards.
The Tritons made 11 three-pointers in the game.
Fourteen of UCSD's 15 rostered players saw floor time including first-year Tritons Anthony Ballestero, Koree Cox, Chris Hansen, Eric Patton and Ben Rico. Hansen, Patton and Rico are true freshmen, while Ballestero and Cox are transfers.
"We had a lot of guys doing different things to contribute," said Olen. "Especially in the second half, it felt like everybody that went on the floor made an impact in one way or another, and that is really encouraging for us."
It was the season opener for UCI (1-0), the reigning Big West Tournament champion and 2015 NCAA Division I Tournament participant.
The Anteaters had a clear size advantage, with six players checking in at least six-foot-five and two coming in at over seven feet. They scored 36 points in the paint. The Tritons held their own on the boards, however, totaling 30 rebounds to UCI's 31.
At seven-foot-six, Mamadou Ndiaye was a blocking force for UC Irvine, finishing with six of the team's eight swats. He also had a game co-high 16 points and led all players with six rebounds.
Four other Anteaters hit double-figures in points including Jaron Martin (14), Ioannis Dimakopoulos (10), Jonathan Galloway (10) and Luke Nelson (10).
The Anteaters, who shot 62 percent (31-50) for the game, ran out to a 9-0 lead to start the contest and stayed on top the rest of the way. Their largest lead of the night was 26 (58-32) at 14:47 in the second half.
UCSD chipped away and got back within 12 when Grant Jackson nailed a three to make it 73-61 with 4:21 left in the game. That was as close as the Tritons would get the rest of the way.
"They have really talented, physical guards that were able to keep us from doing a lot of the things we wanted to do early on," said Olen. "As we adjusted to that pace and pressure, we were able to execute a little more. That progression will be really important for us."
UC Irvine came into the game with an exhibition victory under its belt after downing Vanguard, 83-59, on Nov. 7.
UC San Diego opens its regular season on Tuesday, Nov. 17, when it hosts Winona State at 7 p.m. It will be the first-ever meeting between the Tritons and Warriors.
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