SANTA BARBARA, Calif. – UC San Diego built a 24-point lead and hung on for a 79-72 victory over UC Santa Barbara Thursday night inside The Thunderdome.
Tyler McGhie was 5-for-7 from beyond the arc with a season-high 25 points in the win for the Tritons.
Bryce Pope scored 20,
Hayden Gray added 11 and
Aniwaniwa Tait-Jones chipped in 10 for UC San Diego (8-6, 2-0 Big West).
The Tritons forced 14 turnovers while committing just six.
UC Santa Barbara fell to 7-6 (0-3 Big West) with the setback.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Pope came out on fire, scoring UC San Diego's first seven points of the game. The Gauchos responded and took an 11-7 lead before Pope ignited a 10-0 UC San Diego run with a pair of threes. UC San Diego led 17-11 at the 11:11 mark, holding the Gauchos scoreless for better than three minutes during that stretch.
UC San Diego continued to shoot the ball well, building a 16-point lead, 34-18 on a three from McGhie – his third three of the half. That triple extended UC San Diego's run to 15-1, forcing a Gaucho timeout with 5:53 left in the half.
A jumper from Pope in the paint gave UC San Diego a 19-point advantage at 38-19.
McGhie scored 16 and Pope poured in 14 as the Tritons led 45-24 at the half. The duo combined for six three-pointers and the Tritons hit 56% of their shots. On the other end, UC San Diego forced nine turnovers leading to 17 Triton points. UC San Diego held an 18-9 advantage on the glass.
In the second half, the Gauchos used a 7-0 run to draw within 11, 65-54, with still six minutes remaining. The Tritons were just 1-for-7 shooting, allowing UC Santa Barbara to creep back into it. With the momentum swinging the home team's way, McGhie buried his fifth three of the night to stretch the lead back to eleven with 3:43 left.
UC San Diego hit its final seven free throw attempts down the stretch to earn the road win.
QUOTABLE
TRITON TIDBITS
- UC San Diego won for the first time in five tries at The Thunderdome.
- The Tritons are 2-0 in Big West play for the second time in four Division I seasons.
- McGhie's ten field goals marked a new personal best.
- Pope's 20-point effort marked his fourth 20-plus point game this season and the 21st of his UC San Diego career.
- UC San Diego's starting lineup was Hayden Gray, Bryce Pope, Aniwaniwa Tait-Jones, Francis Nwaokorie, and J'Raan Brooks for the 14th consecutive game.
UP NEXT
The road trip continues for the Tritons on Saturday when UC San Diego visits Cal State Fullerton for a 6 p.m. tip. The game will air 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 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.
