SEASIDE, Calif. - A stagnant offense scored a season-low in points as the No.14 UC San Diego men's basketball team was defeated, 71-60, Saturday night at league rival Cal State Monterey Bay.
UCSD is now 13-3 overall and 8-2 in the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA). The Tritons, who came into the game alone in first place, are now tied with Chico State for the top spot in the conference.
UC San Diego made just 32.8 percent (21-64) of its shots overall and 21.4 percent from behind the three-point line (6-28), both percentages coming in as season-lows as well. The Tritons were averaging 73.5 points/game entering Saturday's match-up.
"We got off to a slow start tonight and weren't able to recover," said UCSD head coach Eric Olen.
Four players had 10 or more points for UCSD including Chris Hansen (12), Drew Dyer (11), Adam Klie (11) and Aleks Lipovic (10). Dyer had a team-best nine rebounds.
The Otters shot 44.3 percent (27-61) for the game and 44.4 percent (8-18) from three-point land. They held a 48-37 advantage in rebounds.
Ryan Nitz totaled 31 points for CSUMB, a majority of those coming from his seven three-pointers. Julian Ducree had a game-high 11 boards.
The Otters, who were in front the entire game, came out firing on all cylinders, storming to an 11-0 lead. Nitz drained two treys and Alex Fertig followed with a third during the run. They continued their dominance and led by 20, the largest spread of the game, when a Devin Murphy layup at the 11:31 mark of the first half put them up 22-2. CSUMB led by a score of 37-26 at halftime.
UC San Diego mounted a comeback effort in the second frame. Trailing by as many as 17 points, the Tritons cut the deficit to just six when Dyer nailed a three to make it 66-60 with 43 seconds remaining. However, the Otters scored the final five points of the game on free throws to thwart UCSD's come-from-behind bid.
Following two straight weeks on the road, UCSD now returns to RIMAC Arena to host a pair of CCAA games next week. The Tritons entertain Cal State Dominguez Hills for Spirit Night on Jan. 22 and take on Cal State L.A. on Jan. 23. Both games are 7:30 p.m. starts.
"We're looking forward to coming home and I expect us to respond with a much better performance," said Olen.
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