MONMOUTH, Ore. - A historical season for the 21st-ranked UC San Diego men's basketball team came to a close Monday as the Tritons were defeated, 60-55, by No. 3 Western Oregon in the NCAA Division II West Regional championship game.
Second-seeded UCSD ends its campaign at 24-8. WOU, the region's top seed, improves to 30-3 and advances to the Elite 8, March 23-26 in Frisco, Texas.
For the Tritons, senior forward Drew Dyer finished with a team-high 22 points. Junior guard Adam Klie followed with 14 points while adding five rebounds and two assists. Freshman center Chris Hansen totaled 11 points and was 5-for-7 from the floor. Sophomore guard George Buaku grabbed a game-best seven rebounds and Grant Jackson, also a sophomore guard, distributed six assists to go along with eight points.
All 55 of UCSD's points came from starters Dyer, Hansen, Jackson and Klie.
Dyer and Klie were named to the all-tournament team.
The Wolves were led by West Region Player of the Year Andy Avgi, who poured in 25 points. Julian Nichols posted a double-double with 11 points and 10 assists.
Incredibly, WOU did not commit a single turnover in the game, a Great Northwest Athletic Conference (GNAC) record. UCSD turned the ball over 12 times, leading to 15 points for the Wolves.
A second record was set Monday as both teams combined to make 33 of 34 free throws - 97.1 percent - a new NCAA Division II high. The Tritons were a perfect 14-for-14, while the Wolves went 19-for-20 from the charity stripe.
UC San Diego shot 41.3 percent (19-46) for the game and out-rebounded Western Oregon, 37-24. WOU shot 36.5 percent (19-52) overall. Both teams were 3-for-14 (21.4 percent) from behind the three point line.
UCSD's only lead of the night came as it scored the first points of the game on a layup by Klie. WOU followed with a 9-0 run and would not trail for the rest of the night. The Tritons tied the contest twice before halftime and the game was knotted, 24-24, at the break.
The second half saw six tie scores, the final one coming with 2:07 remaining in the game when Klie sunk a pair of free throws to make it 52-52. However, Nichols, who was 1-for-11 from the floor at the time, was left alone to drill a trey, putting the Wolves up for good.
With 52 seconds on the clock, the Tritons stayed alive when a Dyer three pointer got them back within three at 58-55. The Wolves missed a three on their possession and Buaku corralled the rebound. UCSD sophomore guard Anthony Ballestero put up a three pointer that would have tied it again, but Tanner Omlid came up with a huge block. Jordan Wiley grabbed the rebound off the stuff and was fouled with just three ticks left. He sunk both free throws to ice the win.
It was just the second time the two teams had ever met, with both contests coming this season. The Wolves earned a 67-63 victory on Dec. 14 at RIMAC Arena in La Jolla.
UCSD was competing in the NCAA Division II Tournament for the second time overall and first since 2008. The team's win over Chico State in the opening round on March 11 was its first-ever victory in the NCAA DII postseason.
UC San Diego's 24 victories established a new program record for wins, eclipsing the 23 earned over the 1990-91 year when it was an NCAA Division III member. The team also set a high mark for California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) wins, finishing with 15.
Both Dyer and Klie scored their 1,000th career point this season. Dyer also broke UCSD's all-time record for three pointers in a season, netting 92 throughout his final year as a Triton to top the previous mark of 83, set during the 1993-94 season.
Dyer was a D2CCA All-West Region Second Team selection, while he and Klie were named to the All-CCAA First Team. Hansen was tabbed the CCAA Freshman of the Year and junior guard Aleks Lipovic was All-CCAA honorable mention.
Third-year head coach Eric Olen returns nearly the entire roster for the 2016-17 season. Thirteen players, including Hansen, Klie and Lipovic, will be back. Dyer and forward/center Zach McMillan are the lone Tritons to depart.
2016 NCAA Division II West Regional
New PE Building • Monmouth, Ore.
Friday, March 11 - Quarterfinals
No. 3 California Baptist 70, No. 6 Cal Poly Pomona 63
No. 2 UC San Diego 76, No. 7 Chico State 64
No. 5 Azusa Pacific 77, No. 4 Seattle Pacific 66
No. 1 Western Oregon 82, No. 8 Humboldt State 65
Saturday, March 12 - Semifinals
No. 2 UC San Diego 71, No. 3 California Baptist 69
No. 1 Western Oregon 81, No. 5 Azusa Pacific 69
Monday, March 14 - Final
7:00 p.m. - No. 1 Western Oregon 60, No. 2 UC San Diego 55
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