LA JOLLA, Calif. – Four Tritons scored in double figures and UC San Diego shot a season-best 55% in an 83-74 victory over Eastern Michigan Thursday night at RIMAC Arena.
Bryce Pope scored a career-high 24 for the Tritons (5-2) who improved to 3-0 at home. With the loss, the Eagles are 2-5 on the season.
Jake Killingsworth scored 16 on 6-of-7 shooting with a season-high seven rebounds over 38-plus minutes in the win.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Both teams came out blazing hot, knocking down their first four field goal tries. UC San Diego took its first lead of the game, 14-12, on a driving layup from
Jace Roquemore at the 13:53 mark.
The Tritons built a 19-14 lead when
Bryce Pope knocked down his second three pointer of the game. Pope scored 15 in the first half.
Trailing 25-24, the Eagles went on a 6-0 run over 1:33 to take a 30-25 lead with 4:22 left in the half.
Three consecutive three-pointers from
Jake Kosakowski gave the Tritons a 38-35 advantage with 1:15 left in the half. He finished a perfect four-of-four from long range in the first 20 minutes.
A pair of free throws from
Kaden Rasheed with 0.4 seconds left gave UC San Diego a slim 40-39 halftime lead.
As a team, the Tritons hit 7-of-11 three-point tries. Both teams shot well, with UC San Diego hitting 54% of its shots (14-26) and Eastern connecting on 56% of its attempts (18-32). The Eagles scored 22 points in the paint compared to 12 for the Tritons.
Leading by three in the second half, the Tritons used a 6-0 run to take a 60-51 lead with 11:06 to play.
The Tritons stayed hot from distance, Moments later, Killingsworth buried a triple to extend the Tritons' lead to 10.
UC San Diego connected on 28-of-51 field goal tried on the night (54.9%) – including 12-of-23 from beyond the arc.
Pope led all scorers with 24, hitting 9-of-12 shots. Nwaokokrie scored 17, and Kosakowski and Killingsworth each added 16.
QUOTABLE
TRITON TIDBITS
- Jake Kosakowski made his first career start for the Tritons, finishing with a career-high 16 points on six 5-of-8 three-point shooting and a career-high five rebounds.
- UC San Diego played without leading scorer and rebounder Toni Rocak who was injured earlier in the week at practice.
- The teams combined to hit the game's first eight field goal attempts. Both teams began 4-4 overall with each side hitting its first two three-point tries.
- This was the first-ever meeting between the Tritons and the Eagles.
UP NEXT
UC San Diego hits the road for a pair of contests. The Tritons will play at Seattle (Dec. 12, ESPN+) and at Denver (Dec. 15, Altitude) before returning home on Dec. 18.
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 90 percent, the highest rate among public institutions in Division I or II. For more information on the Tritons, visit UCSDtritons.com or follow UC San Diego Athletics on social media @UCSDtritons.
