LA JOLLA, Calif. – Building on a first-half lead, visiting Sacramento State rode its momentum to earn a 65-55 victory over UC San Diego Saturday night in front of 2,259 spectators at LionTree Arena as part of Tritons Weekend.
UC San Diego (0-2) was led by 17 from
Bryce Pope and 11 from
J'Raan Brooks. In his season debut,
Francis Nwaokorie cleared the boards for the Tritons with 12 rebounds and contributed eight of his own points.
The Hornets improved to 1-1 with the victory.
HOW IT HAPPENED
After putting the first two points on the board, the Tritons fell behind a six-point run from the Hornets. Tying the game with 14 minutes on the clock, freshman point guard
Roddie Anderson III stole the ball to go the other way and slam it home.
Chipping their way back, UC San Diego traded the lead four more times with Sac State before falling behind in the tenth minute. Taking their largest lead with seven points, the Hornets held the Tritons to two more points, ending the first half at 29-22.
Anderson and
Emmanuel Tshimanga led the Tritons with six points each in the first half. Tshimanga scored all six from the free-throw line with two cutting UC San Diego's deficit from seven to five.
Six points came off the bench for the Tritons with 12 coming for the Hornets.
The Hornets fired 16 points to the Tritons' 11 in the first eight minutes of the second half. Drawing within 10, UC San Diego continued to trade baskets with Sac State as they tried to cut the deficit.
Sophomore
Francis Nwaokorie scored eight points for the Tritons after going 0-1 in the first half. Redshirt junior
Bryce Pope went from 2-7 to 8-21 with 13 points in the second 20.
J'Raan Brooks finished 44.4% from the field and 50% at the line as the second-leading scorer with 11 points and five rebounds for the Tritons.
QUOTABLE
TRITON TIDBITS
- Saturday's game was preceded by a fan fest outside LionTree Arena. At halftime, UC San Diego recognized Aryeh Bourkoff '95 for his generosity to UC San Diego Athletics. Bourkoff, the founder and CEO of LionTree, made the largest-ever gift towards Athletics scholarships.
- Freshman guard Roddie Anderson III made his first career start.
- Tonight's crowd was the second largest of the Tritons' Division I era with 2,259 fans in attendance.
- Nwaokorie recorded eight points and 12 rebounds.
- 13 of Pope's 17 points came in the second 20 minutes.
UP NEXT
The Tritons wrap up their three-game home stand Tuesday night when they host the California Golden Bears at 7 p.m. Tickets can be purchased at UCSDTritons.com/tickets and the game will be broadcast on ESPN+ with Steve Quis and Martin Bahar 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 began a new era in 2020 as a member of The Big West 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 earned 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.
