NORTHRIDGE, Calif. – Jake Kosakowski scored a career-high 24 points off the bench,
Bryce Pope matched his personal best with 24, and
Toni Rocak posted a double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds as UC San Diego earned a 83-77 win over CSUN inside The Matadome on Thursday night.
The Tritons earned their first-ever road win over a Big West foe, improving to 10-11 overall (4-6 vs. Big West opponents) with their second straight victory.
CSUN fell to 5-15 (1-8 vs. Big West teams).
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Tritons started strong on both ends of the floor, building a 10-2 lead.
Francis Nwaokorie hit a three-pointer and the team hits four quick free throws. Meanwhile, the Matadors started just 1-for-10.
CSUN cut into UC San Diego's lead before Kosakowski entered the game. The Big West's leader in three-point field goals knocked down three straight for the Tritons, who went up 21-15.
Late in the first half,
Matt Gray checked in and converted on three straight driving layups giving UC San Diego a 37-27 lead at the half.
The Tritons were 7-for-14 from beyond the arc in the first half, led by Kosakowski's three and a pair from Pope. Pope's ten points led UC San Diego in the scoring column.
The Tritons outrebounded the Matadors in the first half, 23-20. Nwakorie and Rocak each grabbed six, with
Jace Roquemore coming away with five boards.
In the second half, Kosakowski continued to bury shots from three-point land. He hit seven of his first eight tries in the game, as the Tritons went up 57-46 with 11:05 left.
CSUN cut into the lead and drew to within three, 63-60, before another layup from Gray gave UC San Diego some breathing room for a brief moment. The Matadors drew to within one, 65-64, but a 6-0 run by the Tritons made the score 71-64 with 1:44 left.
UC San Diego hit 12 three-pointers in the win, tying for the most by the Tritons against a Division I foe this season. Kosakowski scored 15 after halftime and Rocak added 10 in the second half.
In addition to Kosakowski's career night, point guard
Jace Roquemore pulled down a career-high 12 rebounds.
The Tritons committed just four turnovers after halftime.
QUOTABLE
TRITON TIDBITS
- The victory was UC San Diego's first road win since Nov. 20 at Sacramento State.
- Rocak entered the game as the conference's top scorer against Big West opponents, averaging 18.4 points per game.
- The double-double by Rocak was his second in the last three games.
- Kosakowski leads the Big West in three-pointers with 47 makes from long range.
- With the win, UC San Diego sweeps the season series from CSUN. The Tritons won 72-64 at RIMAC Arena on Jan. 1.
UP NEXT
UC San Diego travels west to take on UC Santa Barbara Saturday afternoon in the Big West Game of the Week. Game time is scheduled for 1 p.m. and the contest will be televised live on Spectrum SportsNet.
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.
