BERKELEY, Calif. – UC San Diego erased an 11-point first half deficit to win 80-67 at Cal in the 2021-22 season opener Tuesday afternoon at Haas Pavilion.
Toni Rocak scored a career-high 27,
Bryce Pope added 18, and
Matt Gray chipped in 10 for the visitors who are now 1-0 vs. the Pac-12 Conference as a member of NCAA Division I.
HOW IT HAPPENED
A couple of early dunks and an impressive driving layup from
Toni Rocak got UC San Diego off to a promising start. California led 9-8 at 15:53 of the first half.
The Golden Bears extended their lead to as much as 11, 28-17, before the Tritons made a late first-half push. Down seven in the final minutes of the period, UC San Diego used a 5-0 run to cut the deficit to two, 31-29, with 2:08 to play.
Matt Gray knocked down a three and then converted a driving layup to bring the visitors to within a pair.
California got a three-pointer from Jordan Shepherd with four seconds left in the half to take a 37-33 lead into halftime.
Points in the paint were 20-14 in favor of Cal at the half. Rocak led all scorers with 16.
In the second half, the Tritons pulled ahead for the first time when
Francis Nwaokorie hit a pair of free throws at 15:45, making the score 45-43 UC San Diego. The teams traded points, and the Tritons re-took the lead, 49-48, on a Nwaokorie field goal with 12:32 left.
That bucket from Nwaokorie was part of an 11-0 run by the Tritons, as UC San Diego built a 58-48 lead with 9:43 left.
The Tritons never looked back, turning a four-point halftime deficit into a 13-point road victory.
TRITON TIDBITS
- Tuesday's victory was the Tritons' first-ever Division I road win after an 0-7 mark in last year's COVID-abbreviated season.
- UC San Diego earned its first-ever victory over a Pac-12 school. The Tritons were 0-12 all-time against that conference's current members.
- UC San Diego's starting five consisted of Pope, Jake Killingsworth, Rocak, Jace Roquemore, and Gray. Gray made his first career start.
- Nwaokorie scored nine points off the bench before fouling out.
- UC San Diego and Cal had met four times previously, with the last meeting coming in 1985.
UP NEXT
UC San Diego opens its home slate on Saturday when the Tritons host George Washington at RIMAC Arena in a 7 p.m. contest on ESPN+. Tickets can be purchased by visiting UCSDTritons.com/tickets.
About UC San Diego Athletics
After two decades as one of the most successful programs in NCAA Division II, the UC San Diego intercollegiate athletics program has begun a new era as a member of the Big West Conference in NCAA Division I. The 23-sport Tritons earned 30 team and nearly 150 individual national championships during its time in Divisions II and III and helped guide 1,400 scholar-athletes to All-America honors. A total of 83 Tritons have earned Academic All-America honors, while 38 have garnered prestigious NCAA Post Graduate Scholarships. UC San Diego scholar-athletes exemplify the academic ideals of one of the world's preeminent institutions, graduating at an average rate of 91 percent, one of the highest rates among institutions at all divisions. For more information on the Tritons, visit UCSDtritons.com or follow UC San Diego Athletics on social media @UCSDtritons.
