LA JOLLA, Calif. – UC San Diego redshirt junior guard
Bryce Pope scored 24 points and matched his career-high with eight rebounds as the Tritons earned a 75-62 victory over CSUN on Saturday night at LionTree Arena. Pope was one of four UC San Diego players to finish in double figures.
The Tritons snapped a five-game slide – four of the setbacks were by single digits – and improved to 9-18 overall and 4-11 in The Big West. CSUN dropped to 6-21 overall and 3-13 in Big West action.
In addition to Pope's 24,
Roddie Anderson III scored 16 and grabbed six rebounds,
Francis Nwaokorie scored 12 and pulled down eight boards, and
Jace Roquemore chipped in 11.
HOW IT HAPPENED
UC San Diego scored 18 points in the paint in the first half, including a
Bryce Pope and-one with fewer than three seconds to play in the first half as the Tritons took a 34-31 lead into halftime. Pope led all scorers with 12 first half points on 5-of-6 shooting.
Francis Nwaokorie scored eight with five rebounds and three steals.
The Tritons built an eight-point lead, 16-8, on a pair of free throws from
Emmanuel Tshimanga, with 12:50 in the first.
On the first possession of the second half, Pope knocked down a three in the corner in front of the Triton bench, drawing a foul on the play. UC San Diego built its biggest lead of the night to that point, 46-37, thanks to a
Bryce Pope steal and a driving layup from
Roddie Anderson III.
The Tritons stretched their lead to 14 on an
Emmanuel Tshimanga layup with 8:02 to play, capping a 10-0 UC San Diego run.
UC San Diego shot 46% in the victory while limiting the Matadors to 35% shooting.
QUOTABLE
TRITON TIDBITS
- Emmanuel Tshimanga returned to action for UC San Diego. It was his first game since Jan. 28 at UC Riverside.
- Bryce Pope entered the night second in The Big West in scoring at 18.2 points per game.
- Four Tritons scored in double figures for the fourth consecutive contest.
- UC San Diego has led at halftime in 11 of its 15 Big West games.
- The Tritons finished with 36 points in the paint and connected on 86% of their free throw tries.
- UC San Diego leads the series between these two schools, 4-2, and the Tritons are 4-0 against the Matadors in Division I.
- UC San Diego used a starting lineup of Roddie Anderson III, Jace Roquemore, Bryce Pope, Jake Kosakowski, and Francis Nwaokorie for the ninth consecutive game.
UP NEXT
On Monday, the Tritons will play a matinee at UC Davis with tip-off scheduled for just after 3 p.m. Monday's game is 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.
