UCSD VITALS
Overall: 16-10
CCAA: 14-8
CCAA Standing: T-4th of 12
Home: 8-3
Away: 7-7
Neutral: 1-0
Streak: won 1
THE SCHEDULE
Game 27
vs. Cal State Stanislaus (17-10, 14-8 CCAA)
Thursday, March 5 • 5:30 p.m.
Stockton Arena • Stockton, Calif.
Live Stats • Live Video • Tickets
CCAA TOURNEY VITALS
Stockton Arena
Live Stats
Live Video
Tickets
Hotel Info
Thursday, March 5
5:30 p.m. - Game 1: No. 4 Cal State Stanislaus (17-10, 14-8) vs. No. 5 UC San Diego (16-10, 14-8)
8:00 p.m. - Game 2: No. 3 Humboldt State (21-7, 15-7) vs. No. 6 Cal State San Bernardino (12-13, 12-10)
Friday, March 6
5:30 p.m. - Semifinal 1: No. 1 Chico State (21-6, 18-4) vs. winner of Game 1
8:00 p.m. - Semifinal 2: No. 2 Cal Poly Pomona (21-6, 17-5) vs. winner of Game 2
Saturday, March 7
7:30 p.m. - Championship
UCSD IN THE CCAA TOURNEY (4-2 overall)
2012-13
CSUSB 102, UCSD 99 (3OT)
2008-09
UCSD 79, HSU 67
CSUSB 76, UCSD 72
2007-08
UCSD 63, CSUSB 59 (OT)
UCSD 72, SFSU 65
UCSD 64, CPP 56
AGAINST THE TOURNEY FIELD
Cal Poly Pomona: 9-26 overall, 1-1 this season
Cal State San Bernardino: 17-32 overall, 2-0 this season
Cal State Stanislaus: 7-22 overall, 0-2 this season
Chico State: 13-19 overall, 1-1 this season
Humboldt State: 7-15 overall, 0-2 this season
PROBABLE TRITON STARTERS
G - #2 Grant Jackson (Fr., 6-1/175): 4.5 PPG, 2.6 RPG, .796 FT%, 1.6 APG, 19.2 MPG
G - #1 Aleks Lipovic (So., 6-4/190): 8.2 PPG, 1.8 RPG, 1.5 APG, 27.8 MPG
G - #13 Adam Klie (So., 6-4/200): 12.4 PPG, 5.1 RPG, .582 FG%, 1.1 SPG, 27.9 MPG
F - #23 Hunter Walker (Jr., 6-4/200): 12.6 PPG, 3.9 RPG, .461 FG%, 2.0 APG, 29.8 MPG
F - #14 Drew Dyer (Jr., 6-6/215): 11.4 PPG, 4.4 RPG, .437 FG%, .865 FT%, 29.8 MPG
WEEKLY REWIND
UCSD closed out its regular season with a split on the road, losing to Humboldt State (81-80 OT) and downing Cal State San Bernardino (71-62) two nights later.
The Tritons held a huge 52% to 30% advantage in shooting over the Coyotes and a 32-22 lead in rebounding. The UCSD bench had a big showing with 35 points. Grant Jackson and Adam Klie each had 13 points to lead the Tritons. Hunter Walker finished with 10 points and one rebound shy of a double-double, while Aleks Lipovic handed out four assists.
UC San Diego erased a 12-point deficit against HSU, but was ultimately edged in extra time. Both teams shot well on the night with UCSD hitting at a 53% clip and HSU finishing at 52%. The Lumberjacks made 23 of 27 free throws. The Tritons turned the ball over 16 times, tied for the second-most this season. Walker finished with a game-high 25 points, equaling a career best. He was 11-for-16 from the field. Klie had 17 points and eight rebounds, while Zach McMillan totaled 11 points and a game co-high nine boards.
WINNER WINNER
UC San Diego's 16 victories are its most since the team went 17-11 over the 2008-09 campaign. The 17th win that season came against Humboldt State in the CCAA Tournament. The Tritons' record for wins since joining the NCAA Division II ranks (2000-01 season) is 18, when they finished 18-12 in 2007-08.
SWEEPS SEASON
With its win at Cal State San Bernardino last week, UCSD swept its fifth regular season series of the year (Cal State Dominguez Hills, Cal State East Bay, Cal State L.A., CSUSB and Sonoma State).
IN THE CCAA
Standings
1. Chico State: 18-4, 21-6
2. Cal Poly Pomona: 17-5, 21-6
3. Humboldt State: 15-7, 21-7
4. Cal State Stanislaus: 14-8, 17-10
4. UC San Diego: 14-8, 16-10
6. Cal State San Bernardino: 12-10, 12-13
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7. Cal State Monterey Bay: 9-13, 13-15
7. Sonoma State: 9-13, 12-14
7. San Francisco State: 9-13, 11-15
10. Cal State L.A.: 8-14, 10-16
11. Cal State East Bay: 4-18, 6-22
12. Cal State Dominguez Hills: 3-19, 7-21
Team Stats
Individual Stats
TOP TRITONS IN THE LEAGUE (CCAA games only)
Drew Dyer: 1.7 3FG/G (10th)
Adam Klie: .593 FG% (3rd), 3.7 FT/G (7th), 4.5 FG/G (9th), 13.1 PPG (10th)
Aleks Lipovic: 2.1 3FG/G (5th)
Jeff Van Dyke: 1.8 3FG/G (8th)
Hunter Walker: 4.5 FG/G (9th)
ALASKAN PIPELINE
When the ball leaves Adam Klie's hand, 58.2% 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 59.3% of his shots, third in the league.
MEET THE TREYTONS
Through 26 games, UCSD has knocked down 205 three-pointers, which ranks third among all CCAA teams. In league games only, the Tritons are second in the conference with 165 treys. The team's 7.9 threes/game average ranks 79th 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 121 to opponents.
UCSDefense
The Tritons are holding opponents to 61.5 points/game, the seventh-best scoring defense in the country.
HOLDING ON
To the ball that is. UCSD is turning it over just 10.9 times a game, the lowest average of all CCAA teams.
SEEING STARS
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 six-game win streak this season 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 (March 3), the top eight remained the same with Florida Southern at No. 1 followed by Bellarmine and Lincoln Memorial. From the CCAA, 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
In the third and final NCAA Regional Poll (released March 4), Azusa Pacific is No. 1 and is followed, in order, by California Baptist, Dixie State, BYU-Hawaii, Chico State, Cal Poly Pomona, Western Oregon, Point Loma, Humboldt State 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
Drew Dyer was recently featured by BennettRank.com. You can read the story, written by Brian Lester, here.
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.
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 WARRIORS
Cal State Stanislaus enters Thursday's game at 17-10 overall and 14-8 in CCAA play. The Warriors and Tritons tied for fourth in the league's regular season standings, but CSUS gained the higher seed by virtue of winning both games against UCSD. Stanislaus has won three straight and is 3-3 in its last six contests. Chris Read leads the squad in scoring, averaging 13.2 points/game. Wes Bartole is the top rebounder (7.6), followed closely by Rob Walters (7.4).
SERIES HISTORY
Cal State Stanislaus leads the all-time series against UC San Diego, 22-7. The Warriors won both match-ups this season, 67-66 in double overtime in Turlock and 53-48 in La Jolla. CSUS has won nine of the last 10 meetings.
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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