LA JOLLA, Calif. – UC San Diego earned another victory Monday night via an impressive 116-57 victory over visiting La Verne at LionTree Arena. The Tritons now boast a perfect 3-0-
record for the second time in the last three seasons.
Bryce Pope and
Aniwaniwa Tait-Jones led the scoring with 15 points apiece. Tait-Jones, who was crowned the Big West Men's Basketball Player of the Week earlier today, also led the team with six rebounds.
The Tritons' 59-point separation is the largest margin of victory for UC San Diego since moving to Division I during the 2020-21 season.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Head coach
Eric Olen kept the same starting lineup the Tritons had for their wins against Denver and USD. This decision proved to be the right one. Even after a turnover in their first possession, the Tritons were up 12-10 by the first timeout.
Michael Pearson Jr. made an immediate impact off the bench, knocking down two threes to extend the lead to double digits and force a Leopard timeout.
La Verne's high-pressing, aggressive defense was no match for the disciplined playmaking of UC San Diego. By halftime, the score stood at 59-30, with a 61% field goal percentage for the hosts. UC San Diego was just as reliable when La Verne's aggression boiled over into fouls, shooting 11 for 13 from the free-throw line during the first half.
Tait-Jones continued his domination, leading the scoring at halftime with 13 points. His highlights included a breakaway layup that kept the Triton's momentum rolling.
UC San Diego's offensive success was matched by its defensive efforts. By halftime, the Tritons had forced 12 turnovers, double the number they conceded, and scored 17 points off the subsequent possession. Tait-Jones led on this front as well, recording three steals.
The Tritons picked up right where they left off in the second leg. Less than six minutes into the half, UC San Diego grew its lead to 42 points. The surge was underscored by a statement slam by
Francis Nwaokorie, who ended the night with 12 points.
The scoring momentarily slowed down for both teams following this Triton swell. However,
J'Raan Brooks quickly jumpstarted it back up with a trio of three-pointers. These buckets helped him lead the second-half effort on both fronts with 10 points and 3 rebounds, as well as a block.
Aidan Burke earned his first substantial minutes during Monday's second half, a chance he did not squander. The Bay Area freshman scored 8 points and scooped up three rebounds in 12 minutes.
UC San Diego held La Verne to 28.2% shooting from open play during the second half, and 31.9% overall.
TRITON TIDBITS
- UC San Diego's last match against La Verne was in 2003 and ended in an 81-78 victory for La Verne.
- The Tritons now hold a 20-9 record over the Leopards.
- UC San Diego's 116 points are the most scored by the Tritons in a game in the program's Division I history.
- Camden McCormick's 14 points are a career-high for the second year guard.
- Redshirt freshman Cade Pendleton scored the first points of his Triton career on Monday.
- The Tritons wore their white uniforms Monday for the third time this season.
QUOTABLE
UP NEXT
UC San Diego hosts Navy for another non-league matchup on Saturday. The Tritons took a nail-biting 78-69 overtime loss to the Midshipmen last November. Saturday's contest tips off at 4 p.m., with the first 100 military-affiliated students being able to pick up a rally towel. The game will air live on ESPN+ with live stats on UCSDTritons.com.
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 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 84 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.
