BAKERSFIELD, Calif. – A strong second half surge by CSU Bakersfield proved too much for UC San Diego to overcome, as the Tritons fell by a 65-50 score inside the Icardo Center on Saturday.
 
The 50-point effort marked a season low output for the Tritons, who dropped to 4-7 (1-5 vs. Big West schedule), while the Roadrunners won for the fourth time in their last five, improving to 14-7 overall.
 
CSU Bakersfield led 13-10 at the 13:00 mark as both offenses got off to a fast start. Redshirt freshman Bryce Pope hit a pair of three-pointers and junior forward Toni Rocak, making his first start, had four.
 
UC San Diego kept hanging around, and had success scoring inside in spite of the Roadrunners' size advantage. The Tritons held a 14-10 advantage on points in the paint in the first half.
 

Killingsworth finds Baxter as the shot clock winds down.

Tritons 14
'Runners 17

7:55 first pic.twitter.com/SCVYypocUq

— UC San Diego Men's Hoops (@UCSDmbb) February 14, 2021

UC San Diego shot 47% over the first 20 minutes, led by Rocak's eight. Senior guard Gabe Hadley added five points and four rebounds. The Triton defense limited the 'Runners to just 37% shooting in the first half.
 
The Tritons had a promising start to the second half when grad transfer Jake Killingsworth knocked down a three to cut the Roadrunners lead to just two, 28-26, with 19:16 left. CSUB answered with a 16-0 run over the next 4:32 to put the game out of reach.
 
For the first time this season, no Tritons scored in double figures. Rocak led UC San Diego with nine points, senior Martin Tombe added six off the bench.
 
CSU Bakersfield posted a 41-26 rebound advantage, led by 15 boards from center Ronne Readus.
 
QUOTABLE


TRITON TIDBITS

• UC San Diego used its third starting lineup of the season with Rocak making his first start on Saturday.
• The Tritons entered Saturday's game leading the Big West Conference in three-pointers per game (10.7). UC San Diego hit nine on Saturday.
• UC San Diego fell to 0-3 on the second half of back-to-backs this season.
• With Saturday's victory, CSU Bakersfield leads the all-time series, 17-1. Before this weekend, the two teams had not met since 2007 when both were in NCAA Division II.

UP NEXT
UC San Diego returns to RIMAC Arena for a pair of games against Big West Conference foe UC Riverside next weekend. Tip-off is set for 5 p.m. PT both Friday and Saturday, and both games will air live 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.