SAN DIEGO – UC San Diego sophomore guard
Jake Kosakowski scored a career-high 18 points and three Tritons scored in double figures, but it wasn't enough as San Diego State downed UC San Diego, 78-57, inside Viejas Arena in front of 10,912 on Wednesday evening.
The Tritons wrap up non-conference play with a record of 6-5 and the Aztecs improved to 8-3 with the win.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Down 13-2 to start the game, the Tritons went on an 8-0 run over the next 1:34 to cut the deficit to 13-10 with 12:00 left in the first half. Back-to-back threes from
Francis Nwaokorie and Kosakowski along with a layup from
Jake Killingsworth drew the Tritons to within three points.
Just as quickly as the Tritons trimmed the deficit, San Diego State responded with eight quick points of its own to rebuild the lead to 11 at 21-10.
The Aztecs held a 26-12 lead with just over nine minutes left to play, but UC San Diego settled in and hit five of its next six shots.
San Diego State responded with a 12-4 run to close the half, giving the Aztecs a 45-30 lead at the break. SDSU shot 58% over the first 20 minutes, including six-of-10 from beyond the arc.
Bryce Pope led UC San Diego with eight first half points. Nwaokorie added seven and Kosakowski scored six. The Tritons held a slight 16-15 edge on the glass.
Early in the second half, the Aztecs went up 45-28 with 15:56 left. UC San Diego responded and drew within 10 thanks to a 6-0 run.
However, the Aztecs scored 14 straight points to put the game out of reach.
Kosakowski finished 6-of-9 from three-point range to notch his personal best 18 points. Pope and Rocak scored ten apiece. Rocak and Killingsowrth led the Tritons on the glass with six rebounds each.
San Diego State's Nathan Mensah scored 19 to lead all scorers. As a team, the Aztecs hit 54% of their shots in the win.
QUOTABLE
"I thought we were able to get some clean looks from three over the course of the game," said UC San Diego head coach
Eric Olen. "They do such a great job of protecting the rim and not fouling around the basket that they were able to make us pretty one-dimensional offensively and they did a good job of making shots on their end so that was a tough combination for us."
"We have a good team in the locker room," Olen added. "We need to get better, but there's a lot of season left. A lot of it for us is being consistent, stringing together more of those stretches where the ball moves and we are getting shots out of rotation. As we get more experience, I'm confident we will find that rhythm."
TRITON TIDBITS
- Toni Rocak returned to the starting lineup for the first time since Nov. 25 vs. Southern Miss.
- The Aztecs hit nine three-pointers – more than any UC San Diego opponent this season.
- Wednesday's contest was the first in a three-year series between the Tritons and Aztecs that will see the teams meet again here next year and UC San Diego's RIMAC Arena in 2023.
UP NEXT
UC San Diego begins its second season of Big West play on Thursday, Dec. 30 when the Tritons welcome defending conference champ UC Santa Barbara to RIMAC Arena. On Saturday, Jan. 1, the Tritons will host CSUN. Both games will tip at 7 p.m.
Spectators will not be permitted to attend, but both games will be broadcast on ESPN+.
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.
