LA JOLLA, Calif. – In a nail-biting matchup that came down to the final buzzer, UC San Diego came back from the brink to edge UC Riverside, 66-65, in front of 3,083 Thursday night at LionTree Arena. The Tritons are now in a three-way tie for first place in The Big West standings.
Bryce Pope led the scoring with 15 points. He was followed by
Hayden Gray,
Francis Nwaokorie,
Tyler McGhie, and
Emmanuel Tshimanga, who all reached double-digits. Gray also led the team with six assists, and Nwaokorie's 11 rebounds gave him his sixth career double-double.
A uniquely potent defense yielded five steals, of which Pope and Nwaokorie each had two. The Tritons also forced seven turnovers and executed three blocks in the contentious matchup.
HOW IT HAPPENED
A packed and raucous crowd soundtracked a modest start to the game for UC San Diego, which shot 3-for-7 from the field for six scrappy points by the first media timeout. A Tshimanga substitution yielded a quick four points, paired with three-pointers from Gray and McGhie to give the Tritons an early 16-10 lead.
While the minutes dwindled, UC Riverside's defense did not let up. Cycles of Triton substitutions were not the key to breaking the vigilant Highlander press as they were forced to the margins. UC San Diego shot 2-for-12 from the three-point line while shooting a 46.4 two-point percentage.
The points were scattered across starters and the bench alike — seven players notched points in the first half — with Pope and
Aniwaniwa Tait-Jones claiming eight and seven points, respectively.
A late-half Highlander surge of eight points inflated what would have otherwise been a humble field goal percentage to 50%. Despite this, UC San Diego forced five turnovers during the half, cashing them in for five points in the ensuing possessions.
Nwaokorie led the half with five rebounds and a steal. Gray and Pope joined him with a steal each.
The Highlander surge, wherein both UC San Diego shooting fouls were committed, gave the visitors a 36-33 advantage going into halftime; the Tritons have only trailed at the half five times this season, and had come out victorious in one. Thus, the hosts had their work cut out for them as they entered the second half.
UC San Diego struggled to find the net in the early minutes of the second half, shooting 40% and making one of five three-point attempts by the first media timeout. Nevertheless, a hook shot from Tshimanga, and an accompanying free throw, provided a glimpse of what was to come.
Tshimanga proceeded to collect a block off the board on the next possession, which Gray converted into a three-pointer to get within one point of the opposition. These points would become a part of an 11-0 point run for the Tritons, who regained the lead at 56-55 off a Pope free throw.
As the Triton net caught fire, so did the defense, as they suffocated the Highlanders who were forced to throw up toss-ups as their shot clock ran down on two possessions. When the shot did get off, UC San Diego scooped them up, racking up 15 defensive rebounds in the second half.
Both teams dialed in for the last six minutes of the game, exchanging points, and the lead, as the clock ran down; the score would not be separated by more than one possession during this time.
The Tritons continued to deal with a tight Highlander defense, including several full-court presses. Accordingly, the Tritons swung the ball around, resulting in 12 bench points. By the end of the game, UC San Diego improved its field-goal percentage to 44%.
The game came down to the final moments as UC Riverside trailed by a point with 2.6 seconds left on the clock. A tightly-contested out-of-bounds call in favor of the Highlanders sent the referees to video replay, where the call stood. No matter, a determined Triton defensive stand suspended the score at 66-65 to give UC San Diego the comeback win.
TRITON TIDBITS
- Thursday's crowd of 3,083 was the second largest crowd this season, just behind the San Diego State sellout on December 1.
- With this victory, UC San Diego has already matched its 2021-22 season for most Big West wins in a season.
- Head coach Eric Olen has not altered his starting five of Hayden Gray, Bryce Pope, Aniwaniwa Tait-Jones, Francis Nwaokorie, and J'Raan Brooks during the 2023-24 season.
- Thursday was UC San Diego's annual Spirit Night where the Cup of Cheer was awarded to Revelle College.
- The Tritons wore their special-edition gold uniforms on Thursday.
QUOTABLE
UP NEXT
UC San Diego will have a quick turnaround, hitting the road for an afternoon matchup against UC Davis. The Aggies and Tritons are tied for first place in the Big West standings. The game tips off at 2 p.m. and airs live on ESPN+ with live stats on UCSDTritons.com.
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 Conference 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 91 percent, one of the highest rates among institutions at all divisions.
