MALIBU, Calif. – Pepperdine's Houston Mallette scored 19 second half points as the host Waves rallied for a 68-62 victory over UC San Diego on Saturday evening inside Firestone Fieldhouse in the first meeting between the two programs. Bryce Pope led three Tritons in double figures with 17 points. Francis Nwaokorie chipped in 16 and seven rebounds, and Hayden Gray added ten.
 
UC San Diego fell to 5-5 with the setback while the Waves improved to 5-7.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
It was a fast start for UC San Diego – and Aniwaniwa Tait-Jones in particular. The first-year Triton scored five of the team's first nine points as UC San Diego ran out to a 9-2 advantage just three minutes into the game. Nwaokorie buried a three-pointer from the top of the arc to give the Tritons a 16-6 lead at the 12:55 mark.
 
Pepperdine battled back and knocked down five straight field goal tries to knot the score at 18-18 midway through the half.
 
The Tritons controlled the glass over the first 20 minutes, out-rebounding the Waves, 21-9, and UC San Diego took a three-point advantage into the locker room, 28-25. It marked the Tritons' first halftime lead away from LionTree Arena this season.
 
Tait-Jones paced all first half scorers with seven points. Gray added six, and Emmanuel Tshimanga scored four and grabbed four rebounds off the bench.
 
Both teams continued to shoot well early in the second half, but Pepperdine connected on four of its first six three-point tries after halftime, building a 53-46 lead with 7:50 to play. The Tritons went cold offensively and were held without a field goal over a five-minute stretch as Pepperdine maintained a nine-point lead with 3:41 left.
 
UC San Diego's defense held Pepperdine scoreless for over three minutes and 30 seconds, but the Waves spread the floor down the stretch to hang on for the win.
 
QUOTABLE
"We did some good things, but ultimately gave away too many possessions," said UC San Diego head coach Eric Olen. "We had some costly turnovers [in the second half] and that put us in a tough position."
 
TRITON TIDBITS

• UC San Diego lost for the first time this season when grabbing more rebounds than its opponents. The visitors held a 38-29 edge on the glass Saturday night.
• The Tritons out-scored the Waves in the paint, 34-22.
• UC San Diego was a perfect 14-for-14 from the free throw line.
• The Tritons are still winless away from LionTree Arena this season (0-4).
• UC San Diego wore its blue uniforms for the third time this season.
• For the 10th 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 will pause for final exams and then return to action on Monday, Dec. 18, at Sacramento State.
 
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.