SEATTLE – UC San Diego erased an 11-point deficit and
Bryce Pope's turnaround runner in the lane with less than a second to play sent the game to overtime, but Idaho earned a 73-70 OT victory over the Tritons Friday afternoon inside Seattle U's Redhawk Center. The setback was UC San Diego's first of the season; the Tritons are now 4-1.
Four Tritons finished in double figures, led by 18 points apiece from Pope and
Francis Nwaokorie.
J'Raan Brooks chipped in 12 and
Hayden Gray added 11 for the Tritons.
Julius Mims scored 17 and grabbed 12 rebounds in the win for Idaho (3-3).
HOW IT HAPPENED
It was a sluggish start for both teams out of the gate, as they combined to hit just six of their first 28 field goal attempts and Idaho led, 8-7, midway through the first half. The Tritons did force five Vandals turnovers during the cold shooting stretch.
A three-point play by Idaho's Julius Mims with 4:26 left in the first half gave the Vandals a 21-13 advantage – marking UC San Diego's largest deficit of the season. The Tritons trailed by 11, 26-15, before back-to-back buckets from
Bryce Pope drew UC San Diego within seven, 26-19, with 1:46 to play in the half.
UC San Diego closed the first half on an 8-0 run, holding Idaho scoreless over the final 2:26 as the Vandals' lead was trimmed to 26-23 at the break. The Tritons shot a season low 32% in the first half and an uncharacteristic 64% (7-for-11) from the free throw line. UC San Diego forced nine Idaho turnovers. Pope led all scorers with 12 in the first half.
After halftime, the Tritons continued the momentum they'd built late in the first half.
J'Raan Brooks knocked down a three-pointer to tie the game, and then a three from
Francis Nwaokorie at the 15:27 mark put the Tritons on top, 34-33.
UC San Diego continued to use its defense to lead to scoring opportunities on the other end. A drving layup from
Aniwaniwa Tait-Jones gave the Tritons their largest lead of the afternoon – 42-33 – with 13:55 remaining.
The Vandals battled back and there were several lead changes for the rest of the afternoon. Idaho connected on eight straight field goal tried to go up 59-52 with five minutes left. The Tritons remained composed and whittled the lead thanks to another three from Nwaokorie and a driving layup from Gray.
Idaho had a chance to put the game away at the free throw line but was unable to convert multiple chances. That set the stage for Pope, who calmly drove the paint, spun around, and laid in a floater with 0.4 seconds remaining, tying the score at 64 and sending the game to overtime.
In the extra session, Idaho had five fast break points to eke out the win.
QUOTABLE
"I'm disappointed by the result, but I liked our competitiveness and resiliency to come back and take the lead – and then do that again late," said UC San Diego head coach
Eric Olen. "Any time you get into a one-possession game, the ball can either bounce your way or not. This was our first time on the road; we've got to find a way to play better. We'll learn from this."
TRITON TIDBITS
- This was UC San Diego's first overtime game since Feb. 4 against Cal State Bakersfield at LionTree Arena.
- Friday was the second-ever meeting between these foes and the first as Division I programs. The prior contest took place in 1989 when the Tritons competed in Division III.
- The game featured eight ties and six lead changes.
- Being the designated visiting team, UC San Diego wore its blue uniforms for the first time this season.
- A free UC San Diego alumni event will take place at 5 p.m. Monday at Queen Anne Beerhall in Seattle. To register, visit https://web.cvent.com/event/de049e37-13f3-4aea-8507-321ad0c28915/summary
- A limited three-game VIP mini plan remains available for $65. The plan includes a ticket to games vs. San Diego State (Dec. 1), Hawai'i (Jan. 20), and UC Riverside (Jan. 25). Mini plans can be purchased through the Triton Box Office.
- For the fifth consecutive game, UC San Diego used a starting lineup of Hayden Gray, Bryce Pope, Aniwaniwa Tait-Jones, Francis Nwaokorie, and J'Raan Brooks.
UP NEXT
UC San Diego continues its stay in the Pacific Northwest as the Tritons visit Seattle U on Sunday afternoon. Game time is scheduled for 3 p.m. from Redhawk Center with a live broadcast on ESPN+ and live stats available 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 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 90 percent, the highest rate among public institutions in Divisions I and II.
