BELMONT, Calif. – The fourth-ranked UC San Diego men's basketball team is 7-0 for the first time since 2015 after the Tritons knocked off Holy Names, 98-80, in the opener of the NDNU Thanksgiving Classic on Friday night. Sophomore guard Tyrell Roberts scored a career-high 28 points in the win, which was UC San Diego's highest scoring output of the season.
 
Roberts finished with 28 points on 11-of-18 shooting. His 11 field goals were also a personal best.
 
"Ty stepped up for us tonight," said head coach Eric Olen. "With Mikey [Howell's] foul trouble, [Roberts] had to handle the ball a little more than he might've otherwise. Ty's decision-making was really good. He knew when to attack the basket and at what pace, and that made a big difference."

UC San Diego hit seven of its first 10 shot attempts to take a 21-13 lead less than seven minutes into the contest. The Tritons continued to shoot the ball well over the first 20 minutes connecting on 74% of their shots in the first half (20-27). UC San Diego connected on nine three-pointers in 14 tries, taking a 51-42 lead into halftime.
 
Chris Hansen had his way in the paint, as he scored 16 points in the first half on 6-of-7 shooting. Roberts added 11 points and senior guard Christian Oshita contributed 9. Junior guard Mikey Howell dished out seven first-half assists. In all, UC San Diego scored 20 of its points in the paint.
 
For the night, Roberts was one of three Tritons to finish in double figures. Hansen had another big night, scoring 24 points and grabbing a game-high eight rebounds. Oshita finished with 19, and Howell had 10 helpers with only two turnovers. 

Senior forward Scott Everman surpassed the 1,000 career point mark in the win. Everman joins teammates Hansen and Oshita in the 1,000-point club. He finished with nine points.
 
UC San Diego shot a season-high 60.7% percent for the game and connected on 15-of-30 three-point tries. It was the fourth time this season the Tritons have hit 14 or more threes. UC San Diego also dished out 20 assists as a team – the fifth time in its first seven games that the Tritons have registered 20+ assists in a game – and drained 15-of-18 free throw tries.
 
The Hawks (1-4) hung around all night – getting as close as one point midway through the second half – but UC San Diego never trailed. Zamaria Odom hit four three-pointers to lead Holy Names with 16 points.
 
"[Holy Names has] played a tough schedule against some good teams," Olen explained. "Being ranked in the top five, we know we should expect to get everybody's best shot."
 
No. 4 UC San Diego puts its perfect record on the line Saturday night, when the Tritons battle tournament host Notre Dame de Namur at 7 p.m.
 
About UC San Diego Athletics
With 30 national team championships, nearly 150 individual titles and the top student-athlete graduation rate among Division II institutions in the United States, the UC San Diego intercollegiate athletics program annually ranks as one of the most successful in the country.  The Tritons sponsor 23 intercollegiate sport programs that compete on the NCAA Division I and II levels and, in summer 2020, will transition into full Division I status as a member of the Big West Conference.  UC San Diego student-athletes exemplify the academic ideals of one of the world's preeminent institutions, graduating at an average rate of 91 percent.  A total of 82 Tritons have earned Academic All-America honors, while 37 have earned prestigious NCAA Post Graduate Scholarships.  In competition, more than 1,300 UC San Diego student-athletes have earned All-America honors.

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