SANTA BARBARA, Calif. – UC San Diego had a tough shooting afternoon and defending Big West champ UC Santa Barbara seemingly couldn't miss as the Gauchos downed the Tritons, 84-48, inside The Thunderdome on Saturday afternoon.
The Tritons had their two-game win streak snapped with the setback, falling to 10-12 overall and 4-7 vs. Big West opponents.
UC Santa Barbara is now 9-9 overall and 2-5 against Big West foes with the win.
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Gauchos got off to a scorching-hot start, connecting on 10 of their first 12 shots, building a 24-13 lead in front of the home crowd. The Tritons answered with a three from
Jake Kosakowski and
Toni Rocak banked in a three of his own as the shot clock expired – cutting the UC Santa Barbara lead to five, 24-19, with 9:26 to play.
But the Gauchos exploded for a quick 18-2 run of their own over the next three minutes to go up 42-21 with 6:17 left in the first half.
Despite being held scoreless for the final 3:16, UC Santa Barbara led 46-24 at the break, shooting 74% (20-27) over the first 20 minutes. Miles Norris scored 21 points on 8-of-9 shooting to lead all scorers.
The Tritons connected on 9-of-23 shot attempts (39%) in the first half. Kosakowski paced the visitors with eight points and Rocak added seven.
In the second half, Jake Killngsworth hit a couple of quick three-pointers for the Tritons, but the Gauchos continued with the hot hand as they extended their lead.
Bryce Pope was 6-of-7 from the free throw line, scoring 10 points to pace UC San Diego. Killingsworth and Kosakowski finished with eight each.
Norris led all scorers with 32 and the Gauchos shot 63% in the win. UC Santa Barbara scored 46 points in the paint and outrebounded the Tritons, 36-20.
QUOTABLE
"First of all, give a lot of credit to UC Santa Barbara; they played really well today," said UC San Diego head coach
Eric Olen. "For us, we need to look at the film, find the things we can get better at, regroup, and get better."
"We're excited to be back home for a stretch," Olen added. "We've got great teams coming in but we're confident if we play well, we can get back on track. We couldn't be more excited about [welcoming fans back next week]. We felt them early in the season and they helped us get off to that great start."
TRITON TIDBITS
- The contest was UC San Diego's first of three appearances on the Big West Game of the Week television package airing on Spectrum SportsNet. The Tritons' home games on Feb. 12 vs. UC Riverside and Feb. 26 vs. Cal State Fullerton will also be televised.
- UC San Diego's 48 points were a season low.
- The Tritons dropped to 0-3 all-time at UCSB, falling in both games here last season.
- The two teams split the season series, with the Tritons earning an 85-83 overtime win in La Jolla on Dec. 30.
UP NEXT
UC San Diego begins its longest home stand of the season on Thursday night, when the Tritons host UC Davis at RIMAC Arena. Game time is scheduled for 7 p.m. Fans will be
welcomed back to RIMAC for the first time since Dec. 18. 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.
