UCSD VITALS
Overall: 15-9
CCAA: 13-7
CCAA Standing: T-3rd of 12
Home: 8-3
Away: 6-6
Neutral: 1-0
Streak: won 3
THE SCHEDULE
Game 25
at Humboldt State (19-7, 13-7 CCAA)
Thursday, Feb. 26 • 7:30 p.m.
Lumberjack Arena • Arcata, Calif.
Live Stats • Live Video • Tickets
Game 26
at Cal State San Bernardino (12-11, 12-8 CCAA)
Saturday, Feb. 28 • 7:30 p.m.
Coussoulis Arena • San Bernardino, Calif.
Live Stats • Tickets
PROBABLE TRITON STARTERS
G - #2 Grant Jackson (Fr., 6-1/175): 4.3 PPG, 2.5 RPG, 1.6 APG, 19.0 MPG
G - #1 Aleks Lipovic (So., 6-4/190): 8.3 PPG, 1.9 RPG, 1.4 APG, 28.0 MPG
G - #13 Adam Klie (So., 6-4/200): 12.2 PPG, 5.1 RPG, .591 FG%, 1.2 SPG, 28.0 MPG
F - #23 Hunter Walker (Jr., 6-4/200): 12.2 PPG, 3.8 RPG, 2.1 APG, 29.5 MPG
F - #14 Drew Dyer (Jr., 6-6/215): 11.4 PPG, 4.4 RPG, .397 3FG%, .865 FT%, 29.8 MPG
TOURNEY TIME
UCSD clinched a spot in the upcoming CCAA tournament with a win against Cal State Dominguez Hills last week. The six-team field is set and joining the Tritons in Stockton will be Cal Poly Pomona, Chico State, Humboldt State, Cal State San Bernardino and Cal State Stanislaus. The participants will be battling for seed positions this week. The tourney will be held March 5-7 at Stockton Arena. Complete details, including ticket information, are availabe here.
WEEKLY REWIND
UCSD closed out its home season by winning both of its CCAA games last week, defeating Cal State Dominguez Hills (72-58) and Cal State L.A. (61-44).
The Tritons clinched a CCAA tourney spot with their win over the Toros. UCSD put forth a balanced effort, shooting 44 percent (26-59) from the field and a stellar 94 percent (17-18) from the free throw line. The Tritons turned the ball over just eight times while forcing the Toros to lose it on 16 occasions. UCSD scored 19 points directly off of turnovers. Four Tritons hit double figures in points including Adam Klie (game-high 20), Hunter Walker (15), Drew Dyer (10) and Grant Jackson (10).
The next night, Aleks Lipovic netted six three-pointers and finished with a game-high 22 points against the Golden Eagles. Klie added 13 points, Walker had 10 and Zach McMillan pulled down a game-high 10 rebounds. The Tritons out-rebounded the Golden Eagles, 39-29, and held a .421 to .326 advantage in shooting percentage.
SWEEPS SEASON
With its wins last week, UCSD has now swept a regular season series against four opponents - Cal State Dominguez Hills, Cal State East Bay, Cal State L.A. and Sonoma State. The Tritons have a chance to up that number to five at Cal State San Bernardino this week as they defeated the Coyotes, 74-52, on Jan. 23 in La Jolla.
IN THE CCAA
Standings
1. Cal Poly Pomona: 16-4, 20-5
2. Chico State: 16-4, 19-6
3. Humboldt State: 13-7, 19-7
3. UC San Diego: 13-7, 15-9
5. Cal State San Bernardino: 12-8, 12-11
5. Cal State Stanislaus: 12-8, 15-10
7. Cal State Monterey Bay: 9-11, 13-13
8. San Francisco State: 8-12, 10-14
8. Sonoma State: 8-12, 11-13
10. Cal State L.A.: 7-13, 9-15
11. Cal State East Bay: 4-16, 6-20
12. Cal State Dominguez Hills: 2-18, 6-20
Team Stats
Individual Stats
TOP TRITONS IN THE LEAGUE (CCAA games only)
Drew Dyer: 1.7 3FG/G (10th)
Adam Klie: .604 FG% (3rd), 3.5 FT/G (7th), 4.5 FG/G (9th)
Aleks Lipovic: 2.2 3FG/G (5th)
Jeff Van Dyke: 2.0 3FG/G (6th)
Hunter Walker: 3.0 FT/G (9th)
ALASKAN PIPELINE
When the ball leaves Adam Klie's hand, 59.1% of the time it makes a beeline to the basket. The path is even more direct in CCAA games for the Anchorage, Alaska, native, who's draining 60.4% of his shots, third in the league.
MEET THE TREYTONS
Through 24 games, UCSD has knocked down 197 three-pointers, which ranks first among all CCAA teams. In league games only, the Tritons also lead the conference with 157 treys. The team's 8.2 threes/game average ranks 68th 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 110 to opponents.
UCSDefense
The Tritons are holding opponents to 60.7 points/game, the fifth-best scoring defense in the country.
HOLDING ON
To the ball that is. UCSD is turning the rock over just 10.6 times a game, the lowest average of all CCAA teams. Nationally, the Tritons rank 70th in turnover margin (2.0).
SEEING STARS
Last week, Adam Klie was named a San Diego Hall of Champions Star of the Month for January. He helped UCSD post an 8-2 record and a six-game win streak. The sophomore guard led the team in field goal percentage, hitting 43 of his 65 shots, a blistering 66%. He also led the Tritons in rebounding (5.9/game) and free throws (3.7/game) and was second in scoring (12.6 points/game) and steals (0.8/game). Klie totaled 10 or more points in seven of 10 games played, including a season-high 20 against San Francisco State on Jan. 10. He recorded his first career double-double with 12 points and a career-best 11 rebounds versus Cal State East Bay on Jan. 30.
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.
POLL POSITION
In the most recent NABC national poll (Feb. 24), Florida Southern is No. 1 and is followed by Bellarmine and Lincoln Memorial. From the CCAA, Cal Poly Pomona is 25th, while Chico State is 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
In the second NCAA Regional Poll (released Feb. 25), Azusa Pacific leads the West and is followed by California Baptist, BYU-Hawaii, Western Oregon, Dixie State, Chico State, Cal Poly Pomona, Point Loma, Humboldt State and Seattle Pacific. UCSD, ranked ninth in the first poll, has dropped out.
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
Drew Dyer was recently featured by BennettRank.com. You can read the story, written by Brian Lester, here.
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 LUMBERJACKS
Humboldt State enters Thursday's game at 19-7 overall and 13-7 in the CCAA, tied with UCSD for third place. HSU has won four straight, including last week's road tilts against Cal State Monterey Bay (88-74) and Cal State East Bay (81-57). Alan Guei is averaging 14.5 points/game and Austin Bryan is close behind at 14.0. Calvin Young II is the Lumberjacks' top rebounder, pulling down 5.0 boards/game. Humboldt is scoring 82.27 points/game, almost 10 points more than its opponents.
SERIES HISTORY
Humboldt State leads the all-time series, 14-7. However, UCSD has won four of the last five meetings. On Jan. 24 at RIMAC Arena, the Lumberjacks halted UCSD's six-game win streak by earning an 83-73 victory. Adam Klie and Hunter Walker each scored a game-high 17 points for the Tritons. HSU shot 52% and made nearly 56% of its shots in the second half.
ABOUT THE COYOTES
Cal State San Bernardino enters the week at 12-11 and 12-8 in the league, tied with Cal State Stanislaus for fifth place. The Coyotes split their games last week on the road, beating Cal State East Bay (78-65) and falling to Cal State Monterey Bay (78-64). Jacob Thomas is the CCAA's top scorer, averaging 18.0 points/game. Taylor Statham is averaging 5.5 rebounds/game.
SERIES HISTORY
Cal State San Bernardino leads the all-time series, 32-16. However, the Tritons broke a 12-game losing streak against the Coyotes on Jan. 23 in La Jolla. Jeff Van Dyke scored a game-high 16 points to lead UCSD to a 74-52 victory. UC San Diego hit 53% of its shots.
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.
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UP NEXT
UCSD will head to Stockton, Calif., for the CCAA Championship Tournament, March 5-7 at Stockton Arena.
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