BAKERSFIELD, Calif. – Junior forward Toni Rocak matched his career high with 20 points and grabbed a career-high 12 rebounds, and redshirt freshman guard Bryce Pope scored 18 but it wasn't enough as visiting UC San Diego fell 76-71 at CSU Bakersfield on Friday evening inside the Icardo Center.
 
The Tritons fell to 4-6 overall with the loss (1-4 vs. Big West schedule), while the Roadrunners improved to 13-7 overall.
 
Down a bucket early, Pope buried a three to put the Tritons on top, 3-2. CSU Bakersfield quickly answered with a 9-0 run, and the home team never trailed after that.
 
UC San Diego was trailing by 13 points when redshirt freshman guard Jace Roquemore found grad student Jake Killingsworth for back-to-back three-pointers, cutting the deficit to seven points at 28-21.
 

?? while we were posting that video, those two just did it again!

We're down 28-21...

— UC San Diego Men's Hoops (@UCSDmbb) February 13, 2021

Bakersfield responded, and took a 39-23 lead – its largest on the afternoon to date – before Pope's floater in the lane in the half's final seconds ended the Roadrunners' 5-0 run. CSU Bakersfield led 39-25 halftime.
 
Pope led the Tritons with 10 in the first half. UC San Diego shot 38.5% in the first 20 minutes, and just 5-of-17 beyond the arc. The Roadrunners connected on 50% of their first half shot attempts (16-of-32).
 
The Tritons got a quick three from Pope to start the second half and closed to within four (51-47) when senior Gabe Hadley knocked down a triple with 10:29 to play. UC San Diego hung around but got no closer than three the rest of the way.
 
For the second straight game, four Tritons finished in double figures, led by Rocak who connected on 6-of-12 field goals. In addition to Pope's 18, Hadley scored 12 and Killingsworth added 11. The Tritons shot 57% after halftime including 47% from beyond the arc.
 
QUOTABLE
"The second half I thought we played pretty good basketball," said UC San Diego head coach Eric Olen. "We're on the road against a really good team, and they made a few more plays at the end of the game. We dug ourselves a bit of a hole in the first half, we struggled taking care of the basketball, and we gave them a few extra points in transition that I thought we could've avoided."

TRITON TIDBITS

• The Tritons had four double-figure scorers for the fifth time this season, falling for the first time in that scenario.
• Toni Rocak's double-double was UC San Diego's first of the season.
• The Tritons outscored the Roadrunners 46-37 in the second half.
• Friday's meeting was the first between these two programs since they were both members of the NCAA Division II CCAA back in 2007.

UP NEXT
UC San Diego visits CSU Bakersfield again on Saturday. Tip-off Saturday is scheduled for 4 p.m., and the game will be broadcast on ESPN3.
 
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 37 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.