LA JOLLA, Calif. – UC Santa Barbara senior Miles Norris scored a game high 25 as the Gauchos topped UC San Diego, 87-71, in front of 1,489 inside LionTree Arena on Saturday night.
Freshman
Roddie Anderson III paced UC San Diego (10-20 overall, 5-13 in The Big West) with 21 points. Anderson was one of three Tritons to finish in double figures.
Francis Nwaokorie notched his fifth career double-double with 19 points and 10 rebounds.
Bryce Pope scored 16.
The Gauchos (22-7, 13-5) won their third straight over the Tritons and second straight overall.
HOW IT HAPPENED
UCSB came out strong, jumping out to a 7-0 lead and eventually a 12-4 advantage. The Tritons clawed back and tied it at 21 when
Jake Kosakowski buried a three-pointer with 8:53 left in the half.
With the score tied at 23, the Gauchos went on a 15-4 spurt to build a 38-27 lead – their largest of the first half. UC San Diego battled back, but the visitors took a 40-36 advantage into halftime.
UC Santa Barbara's Miles Norris led all scorers with 18 on 7-of-7 shooting (4-for-4 three-pointers) and the Gauchos his 57% of their shots.
Nwaokorie paced the Tritons with 14 points (6-of-10) with
Bryce Pope adding eight. The Tritons also shot the ball well, draining 53% of their field goal tries.
There were only five total turnovers in the first half and both teams scored 20 points in the paint. There were no first half free throw attempts.
In the second half, the Gauchos continued to shoot the ball well and threatened to pull away, but Anderson kept the Tritons close. He hit four shots in five attempts – including a pair of three-pointers to keep UC San Diego in striking distance.
However, the Gauchos used a 17-2 run to pull away for the win.
QUOTABLE
TRITON TIDBITS
- Before the game, the Tritons honored Bryce Pope, who, on Thursday became the 14th player in program history to reach the 1,000-career points plateau.
- Anderson's 21-point effort marked this third straight game with 20-plus points.
- UC San Diego trailed by four at halftime, just the sixth time in its 18 Big West games the Tritons did not lead at the break.
- The teams combined for just three fouls in the first half.
- UC San Diego used a starting lineup of Roddie Anderson III, Jace Roquemore, Bryce Pope, Jake Kosakowski, and Francis Nwaokorie for the 12th game in a row.
UP NEXT
UC San Diego hosts Cal Poly Thursday on Senior Night. 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 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.
