FULLERTON, Calif. – Down three points with 5.1 seconds remaining, UC San Diego had a look at a potential game-tying three-pointer, but the shot attempt fell off, and Cal State Fullerton hung on for an 83-80 victory over the visiting Tritons on Saturday evening inside Titan Gym.
Toni Rocak scored 20 points for the third straight game to lead UC San Diego (8-10, 2-5 vs. Big West opponents).
Jake Killingsworth added 16 and
Francis Nwaokorie chipped in 15 for the Tritons.
The Titans are now 5-0 vs. Big West opponents after Saturday's win, improving to 11-5 overall.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Cal State Fullerton led 10-4 early, but the Tritons used a 9-0 run to go up 13-10 thanks to three-pointers from
Jake Kosakowski and
Kaden Rasheed. UC San Diego continued to hit shots – connecting on five of its first seven from deep and the lead continued to grow. The Tritons went up 28-17 on a dunk from
Jace Roquemore.
Cal State Fullerton whittled the lead to one, 35-34, on a steal and a layup with 3:13 left in the first half, and the Titans knotted the score at 38 with 1:13 to play. A three from Roquemore gave the Tritons the lead once again.
The Titans scored eight straight to close the half – including a three from Tray Maddox Jr. as time expired. Fullerton led 46-41 at the half.
UC San Diego hit 59% of its first half shots, led by eight from Killingsworth and six from Rocak. As a team, the Triton knocked down 7-of-11 from beyond the arc over the first 20 minutes.
In the second half, Fullerton went up by nine but the Tritons systematically trimmed the lead. UC San Diego drew to within a point, 81-80, on a
Bryce Pope layup, with 17.1 seconds on the clock but the Tritons weren't able to complete the comeback.
UC San Diego shot a season-best 59% for the game and hit 10-of-21 three-point tries. Killingsworth was 6-of-7 shooting (4-for-5 from beyond the arc) in 28 minutes.
QUOTABLE
"Any time you come up on the short end, it's disappointing but I'm proud of our effort," said UC San Diego head coach
Eric Olen. "I thought we competed for 40 minutes and gave ourselves an opportunity against a really good team on the road."
TRITON TIDBITS
- The Tritons held a scoring advantage inside with 42 points in the paint to 36 for Cal State Fullerton.
- UC San Diego registered 18 assists while committing 12 turnovers.
- Saturday's game was the first-ever meeting between the programs in Titan Gym. UC San Diego won both contests last season at RIMAC Arena.
UP NEXT
UC San Diego will close out January with a pair of 7 p.m. home games. The Tritons will host Cal Poly on Thursday, Jan. 27 and CSU Bakersfield on Saturday, Jan. 29.
Spectators will not be permitted but both games will be broadcast live on ESPN+ with Steve Quis and Ted Mendenhall calling the action.
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.
