LOGAN, Utah – Tyler McGhie scored 26 points on six three-pointers and
Aniwaniwa Tait-Jones was 10-for-12 from the free throw line and finished with 20 as the Tritons won their eighth in a row, 75-73, over Utah State Tuesday night in front of 7,354 at Dee Glen Smith Spectrum. The Aggies (10-1) entered the night as one of five remaining unbeaten teams in NCAA Division I.
UC San Diego (10-2) erased a seven-point halftime deficit in the comeback win. The Tritons outrebounded the Aggies, 21-18, in the second half.
The back-and-forth thriller featured six ties and eight lead changes.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Playing in front of the most raucous crowd they've faced to date, the Tritons refused to be intimidated. McGhie had a pretty ball fake on a corner three and that was followed up by a three-pointer banked in by
Nordin Kapic from the top of the key as UC San Diego took a quick 6-0 lead just 70 seconds in.
The game was tightly contested, as to be expected, for much of the first half. UC San Diego hit its first four field goals, but Utah State forced the Tritons into some uncharacteristic miscues and the Aggies forged ahead, 19-15, with 9:00 left in the half. UC San Diego came into the night ranked second nationally in fewest turnovers per game at 8.7, but the Tritons committed eight in the first half alone.
The Aggies built a seven-point lead at 27-20, but back-to-back threes from McGhie and Gray, and a contested layup by Tait-Jones put UC San Diego back in front, 28-27.
The Aggies hit their final three field goals including a three-pointer at the buzzer by Ian Martinez to go into the locker room with a 39-32 lead. Utah State's Deyton Albury led all scorers with 12 on 5-of-5 shooting. McGhie led UC San Diego with 11. The Aggies shot 50% (16-32) and the Tritons, 46% (11-24). USU held a slim 16-15 edge on the glass.
Like the first half, the Tritons began the second half on a 6-0 run, this time sparked by defense. After a
Chris Howell layup, Gray got a steal and a fast break layup. That possession was followed by a block by Tait-Jones, leading to a Gray finish on the other end. Utah State took a timeout as the Tritons were within one, 39-38.
Midway through the half, the Tritons went better than three minutes without a field goal. Utah State hit four-of-five to go up six, 53-47, forcing a UC San Diego timeout with 9:51 to play. The Tritons clawed back thanks to Tait-Jones' strong work at the free throw line, and UC San Diego surged ahead, 54-53, on another impressive three from McGhie with 7:57 left to cap a 7-0 run.
With Utah State up 63-61, McGhie took over. He knocked down two more threes and hit a jumper in the paint as the Tritons went up five, 69-64, with just 75 seconds remaining.
QUOTABLE
TRITON TIDBITS
- The eight-game win streak is UC San Diego's longest since moving to Division I in 2020, and the program's longest since winning 22 in a row in 2019-20 – its final Division II campaign.
- Utah State was 42-3 in its last 45 home games before tonight.
- The Tritons were 23-for-27 from the free throw line (85.2%). The 23 made free throws are a season-high.
- UC San Diego's victory was its first-ever over Utah State. The all-time series is now 1-1 (the Aggies won in 1999 when UC San Diego played in Division III).
- McGhie added six rebounds and matched his career-high with three steals
- The Tritons committed a season-high 18 turnovers; this was the first-time all-season UC San Diego committed more turnovers than its opponent.
- Since moving to Division I in 2020, Tuesday was the second-highest altitude in which the Tritons have played. The Dee Glen Smith Spectrum sits at 4,710 feet above sea level. On December 15, 2021, UC San Diego played at Denver (5,280).
- UC San Diego has used the same starting lineup every game this season: Gray, Tait-Jones, Howell, McGhie, and Kapic.
UP NEXT
UC San Diego wraps up its three-game road trip on Saturday night at crosstown foe USD. Game time is scheduled for 6 p.m. from San Diego. The game can be seen on ESPN+ with a link to 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.
