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UCSD Looks to Secure Tourney Spot During Final Home Week

Men's Basketball UCSD

UCSD Looks to Secure Tourney Spot During Final Home Week

UCSD VITALS
Overall: 13-9
CCAA: 11-7
CCAA Standing: T-3rd of 12
Home: 6-3
Away: 6-6
Neutral: 1-0
Streak:
won 1

THE SCHEDULE
Game 23
vs. Cal State Dominguez Hills (6-18, 2-16 CCAA)
Friday, Feb. 20 • 7:30 p.m.
RIMAC Arena • La Jolla, Calif.
Live StatsLive VideoESPN 1700Tickets

Game 24
vs. Cal State L.A. (9-13, 7-11 CCAA)
Saturday, Feb. 21 • 7:30 p.m.
RIMAC Arena • La Jolla, Calif.
Live StatsLive Video • ESPN 1700Tickets

PROBABLE TRITON STARTERS
G - #2 Grant Jackson (Fr., 6-1/175): 4.1 PPG, 2.5 RPG, 1.7 APG, 18.8 MPG
G - #1 Aleks Lipovic (So., 6-4/190): 7.9 PPG, 1.9 RPG, 27.8 MPG
G - #13 Adam Klie (So., 6-4/200): 11.8 PPG, 5.0 RPG, .587 FG%, 1.1 SPG, 27.9 MPG
F - #14 Drew Dyer (Jr., 6-6/215): 11.5 PPG, 4.3 RPG, .426 3FG%, .872 FT%, 29.9 MPG
F - #23 Hunter Walker (Jr., 6-4/200): 12.2 PPG, 3.7 RPG, 2.1 APG, 29.8 MPG

WEEKLY REWIND
UCSD split its road trip this past week, losing at San Francisco State (65-56) and turning around to beat Sonoma State (50-46).

Despite a sluggish offense, the Triton defense stepped up against SSU, forcing 11 turnovers and converting them into 13 points. Ten of the turnovers came off of steals. For the game, UCSD was out-shot, 43.2% to 35.7%. The 50 points were the third-fewest scored by the Tritons this season. Two Tritons finished with 10 or more points, including Adam Klie, who recorded a game-high 11 to go along with a team-best seven rebounds. Hunter Walker had 10 points, four boards and two steals.

At SF State, UCSD shot just 36.7% from the field and made only 25% of their three-point attempts and 57.1% of their free throws. The Tritons turned the ball over 13 times. Klie totaled 15 points and five rebounds for UCSD, both team highs.

THE SENIOR NIGHT THAT WASN'T
Normally the last home game of the season is Senior Night, a time to recognize the Tritons that are making their final career appearances at RIMAC Arena. That ceremony will be put on hold this year as the UCSD roster is absent of seniors. The team is comprised of five juniors, three sophomores and six freshmen.

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: 14-4, 18-5
1. Chico State: 14-4, 17-6
3. Cal State San Bernardino: 11-7, 11-10
3. Cal State Stanislaus: 11-7, 14-9
3. Humboldt State: 11-7, 17-7
3. UC San Diego: 11-7, 13-9
7. Cal State Monterey Bay: 8-10, 12-12
7. Sonoma State: 8-10, 11-11
9. Cal State L.A.: 7-11, 9-13
9. San Francisco State: 7-11, 9-13
11. Cal State East Bay: 4-14, 6-18
12. Cal State Dominguez Hills: 2-16, 6-18
Team Stats
Individual Stats

TOP TRITONS IN THE LEAGUE (CCAA games only)
Drew Dyer: 1.8 3FG/G (9th), .379 3FG% (10th)
Hunter Walker: 3.1 FT/G (9th)
Adam Klie: .602 FG% (3rd), 3.6 FT/G (7th)
Aleks Lipovic: 2.0 3FG/G (5th)
Jeff Van Dyke: 2.0 3FG/G (5th), .379 3FG% (10th)

MEET THE TREYTONS
Through 18 CCAA games, UCSD has knocked down 145 three-pointers, more than any other league team. Overall, the Tritons have made 185, second among CCAA squads. The team's 8.4 threes/game average ranks 58th nationally. 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 101 treys to opponents.

UCSDefense
The Tritons are holding opponents to 61.6 points/game, the eighth-best scoring defense in the country.

HOLDING ON
To the ball that is. UCSD is turning the rock over just 10.7 times a game, the lowest average of all CCAA teams. Nationally, the Tritons rank 78th in turnover margin (1.9).

POLL POSITION
In the most recent NABC national poll (Feb. 17), Florida Southern is No. 1, Augustana is second and Bellarmine ranks third. No CCAA teams are found among the nation's top 25. Cal Poly Pomona and Chico State are 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.

ON THE WESTERN FRONT
UCSD is ranked ninth in the West in the first NCAA Regional Poll, released Feb. 18. Azusa Pacific is first and is followed by California Baptist, Western Oregon, BYU-Hawaii, Cal Poly Pomona, Dixie State, Chico State, Point Loma, UCSD and Seattle Pacific.

THE STORY ON HUNTER
Junior swingman Hunter Walker was recently featured in his hometown paper, the Santa Maria Times. You can read the piece, written by Kenny Cress, here.

THE STORY ON DREW
BennettRank.com ran a feature recently on junior forward Drew Dyer. You can read Brian Lester's piece 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 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 TOROS
Cal State Dominguez Hills has struggled this season and is currently 6-18 overall and sitting in last place in the CCAA at 2-16. The Toros lost both of their home games last week in overtime, falling to Cal State Monterey Bay (74-69) and Cal State East Bay (62-58). Their two league wins came against Humboldt State (79-76) and Sonoma State (73-67). Ivan Dooley leads the team in scoring (12.0) and is followed by Justin Sadler (11.3). Darnell Martin is averaging 7.1 rebounds/game, which ranks third in the CCAA. Tyler Payne is hitting 50% of his three-point attempts, which leads the conference. As a team, CSUDH is making just 63.4% of its free throws, the lowest percentage in the league.

SERIES HISTORY
UCSD is 22-17 against Cal State Dominguez Hills and has won the last four matchups. On Jan. 17 in Carson, Aleks Lipovic hit five three-pointers to lead the Tritons to a commanding 70-50 victory. Adam Klie had 11 points and Drew Dyer had 10, while Zach McMillan brought down a game-high 11 rebounds. The Tritons made 13 treys, with six players hitting at least one. They held a sizable 42-23 advantage in rebounds, including a 14-2 edge on the offensive end. Ivan Dooley had a game-high 16 points for the Toros. Tyler Payne followed with 12.

ABOUT THE GOLDEN EAGLES
Cal State L.A. enters the week at 9-13 overall and 7-11 in the CCAA, tied for ninth place. The Golden Eagles have lost six of their last eight games. Last week, they split home games, defeating Cal State East Bay (63-53) and losing against Cal State Monterey Bay (71-66). No players are scoring over 10 points a game, with LaBradford Franklin leading at 9.6. He is sixth in the CCAA in assists, averaging 3.0/game. Joel Brokenbrough is the team's top rebounder (5.4). Andre McPhail is fourth in the conference in blocks (0.8). CSULA ranks second in the CCAA in blocks (3.4).

SERIES HISTORY
UCSD holds a 17-14 lead in the all-time series against Cal State L.A. On Jan. 16 in Los Angeles, the Tritons earned a 67-56 victory. Aleks Lipovic made five threes to finish with a game-high 15 points. Adam Klie had 13 points and a team-best six rebounds, while Hunter Walker had 11 points and four assists. UCSD turned the ball over just seven times in the game. CSULA was led by LaBradford Franklin, who had 14 points, a game-high seven boards and four assists.

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
The Tritons conclude their regular season on the road, playing at Humboldt State on Thursday, Feb. 26, and at Cal State San Bernardino on Saturday, Feb. 28. UCSD lost against HSU and defeated CSUSB earlier in the season.

#TritonsRising

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Players Mentioned

Matt Bailey

#13 Matt Bailey

G
5' 10"
Freshman
James McCann

#10 James McCann

G
5' 10"
Freshman
MacKenzie McCullough

#11 MacKenzie McCullough

G/F
6' 4"
Freshman
Drew Dyer

#14 Drew Dyer

F
6' 6"
Freshman
Treavon Francis

#24 Treavon Francis

G
6' 4"
Freshman
Aleks Lipovic

#15 Aleks Lipovic

G
6' 4"
Freshman
Zach McMillan

#33 Zach McMillan

C/F
6' 7"
Freshman
Hunter Walker

#23 Hunter Walker

G/F
6' 4"
Freshman
Adam Klie

#12 Adam Klie

G
6' 4"
Freshman

Players Mentioned

Matt Bailey

#13 Matt Bailey

5' 10"
Freshman
G
James McCann

#10 James McCann

5' 10"
Freshman
G
MacKenzie McCullough

#11 MacKenzie McCullough

6' 4"
Freshman
G/F
Drew Dyer

#14 Drew Dyer

6' 6"
Freshman
F
Treavon Francis

#24 Treavon Francis

6' 4"
Freshman
G
Aleks Lipovic

#15 Aleks Lipovic

6' 4"
Freshman
G
Zach McMillan

#33 Zach McMillan

6' 7"
Freshman
C/F
Hunter Walker

#23 Hunter Walker

6' 4"
Freshman
G/F
Adam Klie

#12 Adam Klie

6' 4"
Freshman
G

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