ARCATA, Calif. - A late run propelled the 12th-ranked UC San Diego men's basketball team to a 73-69 victory in a big conference match-up against Humboldt State Thursday night at Lumberjack Arena.
Trailing by four points, 58-54, with just over six minutes remaining in the contest, UCSD laid down a 9-0 run over the next 2:15 that culminated in a 63-58 lead. Aleks Lipovic scored four of his 17 points and Drew Dyer hit a three-pointer during the explosion.
The Tritons pushed their advantage to eight points with 1:31 to go, but the Lumberjacks kept it interesting until the end. With just five ticks on the clock, Ethan Dillard made a layup to get Humboldt within three at 72-69. The 'Jacks immediately fouled George Buaku, who missed his first free throw but netted the second to make it a two-possession game, sealing the win for UC San Diego.
"It's important to play well on the road, and we did that tonight," said UCSD head coach Eric Olen. "We weren't as crisp on the offensive end in the first half, but we kept grinding out possessions defensively and were able to close it out down the stretch."
With its third consecutive victory, UC San Diego improved to 16-3 overall and 11-2 in the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA). Losing its second straight game for just the first time this season, Humboldt State saw its marks lowered to 13-5 overall and 7-5 in league play. The Tritons remain alone in first place and the Lumberjacks are fifth.
Dyer was UCSD's top scorer, totaling 18 points on 7-of-14 shooting from the floor. Lipovic was 9-for-11 from the free throw line. Adam Klie and Koree Cox each had nine points, while Chris Hansen had a team-best eight rebounds.
The Tritons made just 36 percent (11-31) of their shots in the first stanza, but improved to 47 percent (14-30) in the second, finishing at 41 percent (25-61) overall. They made seven of 27 three-pointers, 26 percent.
"It's encouraging to beat a good team despite not shooting the ball well from the outside," added Olen.
Humboldt State was led by Thomas Witzel's game-high 21 points. Rakim Brown logged a double-double with 19 points and 11 boards. As a team, the Lumberjacks shot 38 percent (21-55).
It was a battle between the CCAA's top scoring offense and top scoring defense. HSU came in averaging a league-best 79.3 points per game, while UCSD was giving up just 60.4 points/game, the fewest of any outfit in the CCAA.
The opening half was extremely tight with seven tie scores and 11 lead changes. Neither team had more than a four-point advantage. Humboldt led by one, 30-29, at the break.
UC San Diego's eight-point lead in the second half was the largest by either team on the night.
The Triton win avenged an earlier loss to the Lumberjacks, 82-72, on Jan. 1 at home.
UCSD faces another tough foe Saturday as it plays at No. 13 Cal Poly Pomona (16-3, 9-3). CPP, currently third in the CCAA, defeated Cal State San Bernardino, 84-63 Thursday. On Jan. 2 in La Jolla, the Tritons edged the Broncos by a score of 72-69.
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