SAN BERNARDINO, Calif. - The University of California San Diego men's basketball team made history Thursday by winning its first-ever California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) regular season title after defeating Cal State San Bernardino, 74-64, at Coussoulis Arena.
With its seventh-consecutive victory, UCSD concludes its regular season at 22-5 overall and 17-3 in the CCAA, good for its first championship since joining the league for the 2000-01 season. By virtue of San Francisco State losing Thursday, the Tritons own the title outright.
Senior guard Adam Klie made some history of his own in the game, and not for the first time this season. He finished with a career-high 26 points to become UCSD's Division II leader, now with 1,402. Klie surpassed Jordan Lawley, who amassed 1,398 points between 2006 and 2010.
Klie was 10-for-20 with a pair of three-pointers while going 4-for-5 from the free throw line. The Anchorage, Alaska, native also added six assists, three rebounds and a steal.
Earlier this season, Klie became the program's DII leader in career rebounds and field goals made.
Klie wasn't the only Triton to score 20-plus points Thursday as sophomore center Chris Hansen finished with 23. He was 9-for-13 from the field with a trey and 4-for-5 from the charity stripe. Hansen also grabbed six boards and had a block.
Sophomore guard/forward Christian Oshita snagged a career-high 12 rebounds, while junior guard Anthony Ballestero had 13 points, nine of those coming off three-pointers. Junior guard Joshua Brooks and freshman forward Scott Everman each recorded three steals.
The Tritons shot 46 percent (26-57) as a team and held a 31-21 advantage in rebounds. They turned the ball over just five times, their second-lowest total of the season.
CSUSB (11-13, 7-12) got 14 points from Blake McBride and 12 out of Ramon Eaton. The Coyotes shot 45 percent (19-42).
UC San Diego, which led 34-28 at halftime, found itself up by 12 points, 56-44, with 9:17 left in the game. Cal State San Bernardino wasn't finished as it battled back and trailed by only four, 66-62, when Eli Brown nailed a three-pointer with 1:36 left. However, the Tritons out-scored the Coyotes 8-2 the rest of the way to ice the victory and secure the conference crown.
UCSD's seven-game win streak is the second of the season for the Tritons. The stretches are the longest in the team's NCAA Division II era.
UC San Diego begins postseason play on Tuesday, Feb. 28 by hosting a CCAA Tournament quarterfinal game at 7:30 p.m. The Tritons' opponent will be announced Saturday after the final regular season league games are contested.
SF State, Sonoma State, Chico State, Cal State Dominguez Hills and Cal Poly Pomona have also earned berths in the eight-team tourney.
The semifinals and final will be held March 3-4 at Cal State San Marcos.
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