LA JOLLA, Calif. – UC San Diego sophomore
Francis Nwaokorie scored 19 points and grabbed seven rebounds but visiting Cal State Fullerton earned a 76-73 victory on Wednesday night at LionTree Arena. With their fifth straight setback, the Tritons fell to 8-18 overall and 3-11 in The Big West.
Cal State Fullerton earned its first ever win in La Jolla, improving to 15-12 overall and 9-6 in Big West action.
HOW IT HAPPENED
UC San Diego got off to a hot start offensively, knocking down six of its first eight field goal tries – including three-of-five from beyond the three-point arc. The Tritons ran out on a 15-1 spurt to go up 17-4 just five minutes into the game.
Cal State Fullerton answered with a 16-3 run over a seven-minute span to draw to within a point, 23-22, with 7:00 still to play in the half.
UC San Diego was up 34-31 when
Roddie Anderson III intercepted a Titans' pass and took it to the other end of the floor for a one-handed dunk.
The Tritons took a 40-35 lead into the locker room, thanks to 11 points apiece from
Bryce Pope and Nwaokorie. UC San Diego shot 50% from the floor over the first 20 minutes (15-30) and got 18 points in the paint.
In the second half, Cal State Fullerton took a 48-47 lead before a pair of three-pointers ignited an 8-0 UC San Diego run to give the Tritons a 55-48 advantage.
With Fullerton up 71-68 and just under two minutes to play,
Jace Roquemore buried a three from the corner in front of the Triton bench to even the score. However, the Titans hit five free throws in the final minute to seal the come-from-behind win.
Cal State Fullerton's Latrell Wrightsell Jr. scored a game high 25 points. In addition to Nwaokorie's 19, Pope added 18, Roquemore scored 12, and Anderson chipped in 10.
QUOTABLE
TRITON TIDBITS
- Four Tritons scored in double figures for the third consecutive contest.
- The Tritons led 40-35 at the half. UC San Diego has led at halftime in 10 of its 14 Big West games.
- 11 of UC San Diego's 14 Big West games have been decided by nine points or fewer.
- The Tritons are 2-2 when shooting 50% or better this season. They shot 52% on Wednesday.
- UC San Diego leads the series between these two schools, 3-2, since the Tritons moved to Division I in 2020-21.
- UC San Diego used a starting lineup of Roddie Anderson III, Jace Roquemore, Bryce Pope, Jake Kosakowski, and Francis Nwaokorie for the eighth consecutive game.
UP NEXT
UC San Diego has another split weekend ahead, beginning with a home contest Saturday night against CSUN. Game time is scheduled for 7 p.m. with tickets available through the
Triton Box Office. On Monday, the Tritons will play a matinee at UC Davis with tip-off scheduled for just after 3 p.m. Saturday's game can be seen on Spectrum SportsNet with both games available to stream on ESPN+.
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 83 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.
