ARCATA, Calif. - Christian Bayne scored a game-high 24 points and the University of California San Diego led wire-to-wire in a 77-57 win at Humboldt State Saturday evening in California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) men's basketball action at Lumberjack Arena.
With the victory, UC San Diego moved to 17-9 overall and 14-6 in the CCAA. The Tritons are assured a home quarterfinal game in next week's eight-team CCAA Tournament.
The first bucket of the game came in the form of a three-pointer by Anthony Ballestero that put UCSD in front and it would stay ahead for the rest of the night.
"It was an impressive performance from our group tonight," said UC San Diego head coach Eric Olen. "I thought we controlled the game from start to finish. Humboldt made a run in the second half, but we were able to answer."
Bayne was 8-for-11 from the field with a trio of three-pointers. It was the sixth time this season that the junior guard scored at least 20 points. He also added four rebounds, two steals, an assist, and a block to his totals.
Three other Tritons hit double-figures in points including Scott Everman (16), Christian Oshita (14), and Kenny Fraser (10). Everman hit four treys and dished out a career-high five assists, while Oshita grabbed a team-best seven boards.
UC San Diego shot .492 (30-61) overall and made 11 three-pointers. The Tritons turned the ball over just six times, a season-low.
UCSD led by as many as 13 points in the opening half and held a 36-28 advantage at the intermission. An 11-2 run by Humboldt State in the second half got the Lumberjacks back within two points (41-39) at the 16:09 mark, but Oshita answered with a three and the Tritons would lead by no less than five points the rest of the way. A three-pointer by Ben Rico with 1:06 left in the game accounted for the 20-point spread in the final score. That was the Tritons' largest lead of the contest.
Humboldt State (9-17, 6-14 CCAA) had three players with 14 points - Justin Everett, Davasyia Hagger, and Romario Wilson. Hagger also had a game-high nine rebounds. The Lumberjacks shot .404 (23-57) and turned the ball over 13 times, leading to 19 points for UCSD.
The Tritons swept the regular season series as they also defeated the Lumberjacks, 83-73, back on Jan. 5 at RIMAC Arena.
UC San Diego returns to La Jolla to close out the regular season with a pair of home contests next week. The Tritons take on Cal State Dominguez Hills on Thursday, Feb. 22, and Cal State LA on Saturday, Feb. 24, which will be Senior Night.
#BigWestBound
