LA JOLLA, Calif. – Francis Nwaokorie posted his second double-double and
Bryce Pope scored 22 as UC San Diego welcomed fans back and rolled to an 85-62 victory over visiting UC Riverside in the Big West Game of the Week Saturday afternoon in front of 724 fans at RIMAC Arena.
The 23-point win was UC San Diego's largest margin of victory ever against a Big West for. The Tritons (11-12 overall, 5-7 vs. Big West opponents) have now won three of their last four overall and are 8-2 at home.
With the setback, UC Riverside is now 12-9 and 6-5 against Big West teams.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Down 13-10, the Tritons used a five-nothing run to take their first lead of the game, 15-13. UC Riverside answered with seven straight points before the Tritons regained the lead.
Michael Pearson Jr. made a couple of strong defensive plays leading to transition points for UC San Diego and an 8-0 spurt for the home team.
At the same time, UC San Diego's defense remained tough, holding UC Riverside scoreless for more than five and a half minutes. The Highlanders missed six straight shots during that stretch.
UC San Diego shot 50% (14-28) over the first 20 minutes to take a 36-33 lead into halftime.
Bryce Pope led the Tritons with 10 first half points, including a nifty bucket with 8 seconds left in the half and the shot clock set to expire.
Toni Rocak and
Jake Killingsworth each added six for UC San Diego.
Each team scored 12 points in the paint and the Tritons held a 16-14 rebounding edge in the first.
After halftime, the Tritons hit five of their first seven shots to build a 10-point lead, 49-39. UC San Diego extended its lead with a three-pointer from Nwaokorie – his third of the game – to put the Tritons on top, 54-40, with 14:48 left. That forced the Highlanders to take a timeout.
UC San Diego continued to shoot the ball well, extending its lead and salting the win away. The Tritons connected on 62% of their shots after halftime on the way to the 23-point win.
Pope led all scorers with 22 points with Nwaokorie adding 18 points and 11 rebounds with five assists and no turnovers.
Jace Roquemore finished one rebound shy of a triple-double; he had 10 points and ten assists (with just two turnovers). Jake Kosakowksi scored 13 in the second half and finished with 16.
UC San Diego held an 11-board rebounding advantage on the afternoon – its largest since November.
HIGHLIGHTS
QUOTABLE
TRITON TIDBITS
- The Tritons improved to 5-0 this season at RIMAC Arena with fans in attendance.
- The contest was UC San Diego's second of three appearances on the Big West Game of the Week television package airing on Spectrum SportsNet. The Tritons' home game on Feb. 26 vs. Cal State Fullerton will also be televised.
- UC San Diego celebrated the close of Lunar New Year at Saturday's game.
- The last time these teams met (Jan. 6 at UCR), the Highlanders outrebounded the Tritons by 27.
- With the Tritons' victory, the two teams split the season series. UC San Diego has won two of three vs. the Highlanders in RIMAC Arena since joining the Big West last season.
UP NEXT
UC San Diego continues its longest home stretch of the season Tuesday night when the Tritons host UC Irvine on Spirit Night. Tickets can be purchased at
UCSDTritons.com/tickets. The game will also air 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.
