BELMONT, Calif. - A solid all-around effort drove the UC San Diego men's basketball team to a commanding 74-50 win against Holy Names Friday at Notre Dame de Namur's Thanksgiving Classic.
UCSD improved to 4-0 with the win and is off to its best start since moving to NCAA Division II status for the 2000-01 season.
UC San Diego shot 50 percent (29-58) overall while holding HNU to 29 percent (18-63). The Tritons out-rebounded the Hawks 50 to 31 and collected five blocks and five steals.
"I was really pleased with the energy we had tonight," said UCSD head coach Eric Olen. "We weren't as consistent in our execution as we want to be throughout, but the effort was there. I thought that really showed up on the defensive end and the way we rebounded."
Individually, Triton Drew Dyer, the reigning California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) Player of the Week, netted a game-high 15 points while adding six rebounds, a pair of assists and a block.
Adam Klie finished with 13 points and led all players with nine boards. He was 5-for-7 from the field with three assists and two steals. Koree Cox and Aleks Lipovic each had 11 points. Cox also had five rebounds, while Lipovic made all three of his three-point shots. Grant Jackson had eight points, six boards and three assists.
The Tritons started the game on a 7-0 run and would never relinquish their lead. They took a 41-27 advantage into the break. A layup by Chris Hansen with 3:14 left in the game put UCSD up by 24 points (70-46), its largest lead of the night.
For the Hawks, Joshua Crum totaled 14 points and Jonathan Cortez had 12.
The Tritons made eight three-pointers in the game while Holy Names was 1-for-9 from long range.
HNU fell to 1-5 with the loss.
UC San Diego takes on tourney host Notre Dame de Namur (0-4) Saturday at 7 p.m. The Argonauts were defeated, 81-51, by Western Oregon Friday night. The game will be covered by live video and live stats.
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