LA JOLLA, Calif. - Drew Dyer hit a buzzer-beating three-pointer to send the game into overtime and the 23rd-ranked UC San Diego men's basketball team held on to defeat Sonoma State, 71-66, in a California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) Tournament quarterfinal Tuesday at RIMAC Arena.
Second-seeded UCSD (21-6) advances to play 22nd-ranked and third-seeded Cal Poly Pomona in a semifinal Friday at 2:30 p.m. at Stockton Arena.
With 1.9 seconds on the clock and the game tied 53-53 in regulation, Sonoma's James Davis was fouled while attempting a three-point shot. He drained all three free throws to put the Seawolves up 56-53.
On the ensuing inbound play, UC San Diego's Kenny Fraser threw a bullet from the Tritons' own baseline to Zach McMillan, who was situated between the half court line and the far three-point arc. McMillan caught the ball with two hands at his knees and swung it to a streaking Dyer, who banged down the game-tying trey from the top of the three-point line as time expired.
Seventh-seeded Sonoma State scored eight of the first 11 points of the overtime period, all of them coming from Davis, who made a layup followed by back-to-back threes. With 1:52 remaining and UCSD trailing 66-62, Adam Klie hit a three to get the Tritons back within a point. Klie struck again with 30 ticks left, making a layup to put UCSD on top by a score of 67-66. The Tritons were 4-for-4 from the free throw line the rest of the way to ice the victory.
UC San Diego held Sonoma State scoreless in the final 2:06 of overtime.
Dyer finished his night with a team-high 17 points while adding six rebounds and four assists. Klie totaled 14 points, five boards, four assists and a block, while McMillan had 13 points and a team-best seven rebounds. He was 5-for-6 from the field and also collected two blocks, two assists and a steal.
The Tritons shot 45.5 percent (25-55) for the game, improving from 36 percent (9-25) in the first half to 52.2 percent (12-23) in the second stanza and 57.1 percent (4-7) in overtime.
SSU, which shot 39.3 percent (22-56), got a game-high 26 points from Davis. Michael Avery followed with 17 and Luke Cochran had 10 points and seven rebounds.
UC San Diego led by 13 points, 47-34, with 8:39 to go in the second half. However, Sonoma State went on a 15-1 run, capped by a Davis three-pointer that gave the Seawolves a 49-48 lead with 3:02 left in regulation.
It was the second time in three days that the two teams had met. SSU edged UCSD, 64-62, on Saturday, Feb. 27 in the regular season finalé at RIMAC Arena.
The Seawolves end their 2015-16 campaign at 14-13.
Cal Poly Pomona (22-6) punched its ticket to the CCAA Tournament semifinals by defeating San Francisco State, 57-50, in a first round game Tuesday in Pomona. UCSD won both regular season meetings against CPP, 72-69 at RIMAC Arena and 41-35 at Kellogg Arena.
Friday's first semifinal pits fourth-seeded Humboldt State against Cal State L.A., the eighth seed, at noon in Stockton. The title game is slated for a 5 p.m. tip on Saturday, March 5. The champion receives the conference's automatic berth into the NCAA tournament, which starts with the West Regional March 11-14.
For complete information about the CCAA Tournament, including ticket and live coverage details, visit the tournament central page.
Quarterfinals - Tuesday, March 1
No. 8 Cal State LA 54, No. 1 Chico State 37
No. 2 UC San Diego 71, No. 7 Sonoma State 66 (ot)
No. 3 Cal Poly Pomona 57, No. 6 San Francisco State 50
No. 4 Humboldt State 64, No. 5 Cal State Monterey Bay 61
Semifinals - Friday, March 4
No. 4 Humboldt State vs. No. 8 Cal State LA, 12 p.m.
No. 2 UC San Diego vs. No. 3 Cal Poly Pomona, 2:30 p.m.
Final - Saturday, March 5
Semifinal winners, 5 p.m.
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