LA JOLLA, Calif. – UC San Diego senior guard
Bryce Pope scored 28, junior forward
Francis Nwaokorie finished with 21, and newcomer
Aniwaniwa Tait-Jones finished one assist shy of a triple-double as the Tritons earned a 95-87 opening night victory over Denver inside LionTree Arena on Monday night.
In his first game at UC San Diego, Tait-Jones scored 14, grabbed ten rebounds and dished out nine assists in the victory.
Five Tritons finished in double figures – the first time since a win at Long Beach State last December – as UC San Diego topped the Pioneers for the first time in three tries.
HOW IT HAPPENED
The game was even early but then a 5-0 spurt by UC San Diego gave the Tritons a 17-12 advantage with 12:57 to play in the half.
Bryce Pope buried a three and
Francis Nwaokorie knocked down a pair of free throws to put UC San Diego in front.
The first half featured eight ties and 12 lead changes, and the Pioneers held a slim 41-40 lead at the break. Each team had success inside, scoring 24 first half points in the paint. Pope scored nine and Nwaokorie and
J'Raan Brooks chipped in nine apiece. The Tritons shot 49% from the floor.
The Tritons came out blazing to start the second half, scoring the first 10 points of the period to go up 50-41 on a Pope three – the largest lead of the game for either team to that point – with 18:24 remaining.
Denver responded and drew within three, but the Tritons answered right back with dunks from Brooks and
Hayden Gray (Gray had a driving layup as well) over a span of just 1:07 to build the lead back to nine, 60-51. That spurt forced the Pioneers to call timeout.
UC San Diego continued to shoot the ball well down the stretch – connecting on 8-of-9 field goals at one point – on the way to the eight-point victory.
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UP NEXT
UC San Diego hosts USD Saturday as part of Triton Weekend. Game time is scheduled for 7 p.m. PT and the contest will have live broadcasts on ESPN+ and KSDT Radio. Tickets can be purchased through
Triton Box Office.
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.
