ARCATA, Calif. - The UC San Diego men's basketball team stormed back from a 12-point deficit, but was ultimately edged, 81-80, in overtime at league opponent Humboldt State Thursday.
Humboldt used a 7-2 run over the final 29 seconds of the nail-biting overtime to secure the win.
With the score tied 71-71 going into the extra period, UCSD struck first on a layup by Hunter Walker. With 33 seconds remaining, the Tritons upped their lead to four points when an Aleks Lipovic three made the score 78-74. However, HSU answered immediately as Ethan Dillard hit a three. UC San Diego then missed a pair of crucial free throws. The Lumberjacks grabbed a huge defensive rebound and turned it into a layup by Allan Guei, giving them a 79-78 lead with 20 ticks left. UCSD took the lead as Grant Jackson made a layup with seven seconds on the clock, but Guei came up big again by nailing two free throws to account for the final score. The Tritons had a possession with three seconds remaining, but Malik Morgan came up with a steal as time expired.
UCSD fell to 15-10 overall and 13-8 in the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA). HSU moved to 20-7 and 14-7 with its fifth straight win. The Lumberjacks took sole possession of third place in the conference as both teams had identical league marks prior to Thursday's tip.
"I'm really proud of the way we played tonight," said UCSD head coach Eric Olen. "It's disappointing not to pull it out, but to be in position to win on the road shows the toughness of this team. Our group never wavers in its belief in each other and that is going to serve us well the rest of the way."
Walker finished with a game-high 25 points, equaling a career best. He was 11-for-16 from the field with a pair of three-pointers. Adam Klie had 17 points and eight rebounds, while Zach McMillan totaled 11 points and a game co-high nine boards.
Guei and Austin Bryan each tallied 22 points for Humboldt State. Rakim Brown had 12 points and seven rebounds and Calvin Young II grabbed nine rebounds.
Both teams shot well on the night with UCSD hitting at a 52.6 percent (30-57) clip and HSU finishing at 52 percent (26-50). The Lumberjacks made 23 of 27 free throws. UCSD turned the ball over 16 times, tied for the second-most this season.
Humboldt State led by 12 points twice in the second half. A Morgan layup at 11:23 had the Lumberjacks up 53-41. However, the Tritons chipped away and took their first lead of the frame, 68-67, when Klie made a layup with 1:39 left.
With 32 seconds remaining in regulation, Jackson made one of two free throws to put UCSD up by a score of 71-69. At the :18 mark, Young II hit a shot to tie it up and force overtime.
The 'Jacks led by as many as 10 points in the first half and went into the locker room with a 33-25 advantage at the break.
HSU swept the regular season series with the victory as it also defeated UCSD, 83-73, on Jan. 24 in La Jolla. The Lumberjacks own the two highest scoring performances against the Tritons this year.
UCSD, which secured a CCAA Tournament spot last week, concludes its regular season Saturday at Cal State San Bernardino (12-12, 12-9). The Coyotes managed to score just 36 points in a 60-36 home loss to Cal Poly Pomona Thursday.
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