RIVERSIDE, Calif. – UC San Diego junior Matt Gray scored a career-high 11 points off the bench, but the Tritons couldn't overcome a rough shooting night as UC Riverside earned a 59-51 victory inside SRC Arena Thursday night.
 
UC San Diego (8-6, 2-1 vs. Big West opponents) shot an uncharacteristic 24% percent from beyond the arc. Playing their first Big West foe, UC Riverside improved to 7-4 with the win.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
UC Riverside got four quick buckets to start the game, leading 8-0. The Tritons trailed 16-5 before a 6-0 UC San Diego run drew the Tritons to within five at 16-11. During that stretch, the UC San Diego defense held the Highlanders scoreless for more than four and a half minutes.
 
The rest of the first half was a defensive struggle. A pair of Jake Kosakowski free throws with 1:35 left in the period drew the Tritons to within a point, 27-26. Neither team would score over the final 95 seconds.
 
Five of UC San Diego's eight first half field goals were three-pointers, but the Tritons converted just 5-of-22 three-point attempts (23%). The Highlanders controlled the boards, outrebounding the Tritons, 24-13, in the first half. UC San Diego forced nine UCR turnovers but converted those miscues into just six points.
 
Francis Nwaokorie, Jake Killingsworth, and Matt Gray all scored five for UC San Diego in the first half.
 
A putback from Nwaokorie in the opening moments of the second half gave the Tritons their first lead of the game, 28-27. After the teams traded leads and with the score knotted at 38, UC Riverside reeled off a 9-0 run to take a 47-38 lead with 10:34 left. During that span, the Tritons went nearly five minutes without scoring.
 
The Tritons cut into the lead, thanks to back-to-back three-pointers from Gray. His third triple of the game made the score 54-49 UCR with five minutes to play.
 
UC San Diego was paced by 11 points from Gray with Toni Rocak and Jace Roquemore adding nine each.

As a team, the Tritons shot a season-low 30% (18-for-61). UC Riverside held a 51-24 advantage on the glass.
 
QUOTABLE
"They're a really good defensive team, but obviously we are capable of shooting the ball better than we did tonight," said UC San Diego head coach Eric Olen. "Going forward, we can build on taking care of the basketball and some of the things we did to create those shots tonight. I liked a lot of the shots we got. We've got another tough road game on Saturday at Davis and we've got to bounce back."

TRITON TIDBITS

• For the third straight game, UC San Diego was facing a foe playing its first Big West opponent. UC Riverside had not played since Dec. 12.
• UC San Diego committed a season-low five turnovers while forcing 16 UCR turnovers.
• The Tritons attempted a season-high 41 three-pointers.
• UC San Diego has trailed at halftime in all seven road games this season.
• For the fourth straight game, UC San Diego used a starting lineup of Roquemore, Bryce Pope, Killingsworth, Rocak, and Nwaokorie.

 
UP NEXT                                                       
UC San Diego continues its four-game Big West road trip on Saturday when the Tritons travel to UC Davis. Game time is scheduled for 5 p.m. and the contest will be broadcast on ESPN+. No spectators will be permitted at University Credit Union Center.
 
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.