LA JOLLA, Calif. - A back-and-forth battle between a pair of top-10 nationally-ranked squads went to the visiting team Friday as No. 9 Chico State topped No. 6 UC San Diego, 77-71, in California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) men's basketball action at RIMAC Arena.
UCSD, which saw its five-game win streak halted, dropped to 18-4 overall and 13-3 in the CCAA. Chico State won its seventh consecutive contest to improve to 19-3 on the season and 13-2 in league play, overtaking the Tritons for first place.
The game featured 12 tie scores and 15 lead changes. With 4:14 left, Triton guard Aleks Lipovic hit a three-pointer to even it at 60-60, the final time the contest would be knotted. Isaiah Ellis hit two of his 12 free throws to put the Wildcats back in front and they led the rest of the way.
UC San Diego got 13 points out of forward Drew Dyer as well as guard Grant Jackson, who matched a career-high. Lipovic was just behind with 12, all of those coming from three-pointers. Guard Adam Klie led the Tritons on the boards with seven rebounds.
Center Zach McMillan finished with seven points on 3-for-5 shooting. He also added four rebounds, three blocks, an assist and a steal. It was the senior's first game since Dec. 20, 2015, as he missed 11 contests due to injury.
The Tritons started slow, making just 36 percent of their shots in the opening half. They improved to 48 percent in the second stanza and finished at 41 percent. UC San Diego totaled a season-high 10 steals and turned the ball over just seven times.
Chico State was led by Ellis, who poured in a career-best 26 points, 20 of those coming in the second half. Ellis was 7-for-11 from the field and 12-for-13 from the free throw line. He scored nine straight points late in the second frame. Corey Silverstrom finished with 15 points and Tanner Giddings led all players with nine rebounds.
The Wildcats, who shot 45 percent, out-rebounded the Tritons 41-32. They were 26-for-34 from the charity stripe.
UCSD's largest lead of the game was four points, while Chico led by eight in the final minute of play. The Tritons closed the gap to four (73-69) when Jackson drilled a three with 37 ticks remaining, but that is as close as they would get.
Both teams came in with elite scoring defenses. UC San Diego ranked third nationally, giving up just 59.5 points per game to opponents. Chico State was fourth in the country, surrendering 63.8 points a game.
UCSD is now 4-2 this season against teams ranked in the top-25 nationally.
The Tritons have four regular season games remaining. They host Stanislaus State (5-15, 4-11 CCAA) Saturday at 7:30 p.m. UCSD, which has already clinched a berth in the upcoming eight team CCAA Tournament, needs one victory or a Cal State Monterey Bay loss to secure a first round home game.
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