ROHNERT PARK, Calif. – Junior guard
Gabe Hadley matched his career high with 22 points and fifth-ranked UC San Diego secured its largest margin of victory this season as the Tritons won 92-57 at Sonoma State on Saturday – their fifth output of 90+ points. Winners of 11 in a row, UC San Diego is off to the best start in program history at 19-1 (13-1 California Collegiate Athletic Association).
"Right out of the gate, our offense had pretty good flow," said UC San Diego head coach
Eric Olen. "We were making the extra pass and sharing the ball offensively. That led to some good looks and our guys were making shots."
Sophomore guard
Tyrell Roberts and senior guard/forward
Christian Oshita got the Tritons offense going right out of the gates. They combined to hit the team's first four three-point attempts and the Tritons led 12-7 five minutes in. In fact, the visitors connected on five of their first six tries from beyond the arc, building an early 17-11 advantage.
At one point, UC San Diego was 11-of-15 from beyond the arc but just 2-for-7 on two-point field goal tries. The Tritons closed the opening frame on a 21-1 run capped by a Roberts jumper as time expired, and UC San Diego led 52-23 at halftime.
Roberts scored 20 in the first half – including a perfect 5-5 from distance. Oshita also connected on five three-pointers and scored 17 first half points. Hadley drained three triples off the bench, scoring 11 points. Junior guard
Mikey Howell dished out eight assists without committing a first half turnover.
As a team, the Tritons turned the ball over just twice in the first half and connected on 13-of-20 three-point tries. Overall, UC San Diego hit 57% of its shot attempts over the game's first 20 minutes.
UC San Diego began the second half on a 10-3 run as the Tritons extended their advantage to 62-26 on a Howell three-pointer with 18:13 remaining. From there, the bench took over for the Tritons. No UC San Diego player saw more than 25 minutes on the floor Saturday afternoon.
After struggling from the free throw line in the first half, shooting just 1-of-4, the Tritons regained their form and connected on all eight attempts in the second half as they rolled to the 35-point win.
UC San Diego is now 10-0 on the road this season.
Playing limited minutes after halftime, Roberts was UC San Diego's leading scorer with 23 points on 8-12 shooting (5-5 3FG). Hadley finished with 22 on 8-14 shooting and 5 threes. Oshita contributed 19 and senior forward
Scott Everman chipped in 14 on 6-8 shooting in the win. Despite playing only 25 minutes, Howell matched a career high with 12 assists, while turning the ball over only once.
The Tritons shot 51% on the afternoon, including 46% from three. The 17 3-point field goals made matched a season-high for the Tritons. UC San Diego was credited with 22 assists while committing just nine turnovers.
"Playing twice in three days is tough, and to have a stretch like this without having to go extended minutes for any of our guys is huge," Olen added. "Guys who came in off the bench continued to play at high level and I liked their defensive intensity."
Sonoma State turned the ball over 17 times, but out-rebounded the Tritons, 24-23. The Seawolves (3-16 overall, 2-12 CCAA) have lost 12 straight.
UC San Diego returns to RIMAC Arena for a pair of CCAA contests next week. The Tritons welcome Humboldt State to La Jolla on Thursday night, and Stanislaus State on Saturday night. Both games will tip-off at 8:02 p.m., and both will be broadcast live on ESPN3.
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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