SANTA BARBARA, Calif. – In a highly-anticipated Big West matchup,
Aniwaniwa Tait-Jones was one of four Tritons in double figures as UC San Diego won its Big West opener, 84-76, Thursday night over UC Santa Barbara (6-2, 0-1 Big West) inside the Thunderdome. Tait-Jones finished with 22 and
Nordin Kapic matched his season-high with 19 points and six rebounds.
Hayden Gray added 13, a season-best eight rebounds and four steals, and
Justin Rochelin chipped in 11 in the road win.
The victory was the fifth straight for the Tritons (7-2, 1-0 Big West), who outscored the Gauchos, 40-14, in the paint.
HOW IT HAPPENED
It was an entertaining first half which featured three ties and four lead changes. The Gauchos were hot from distance, connecting on eight of their 16 three-point tries. On the other end,
Nordin Kapic scored eight first half points to keep the Tritons even with UCSB.
With the game tied at 32, UC San Diego closed the first half on a 10-1 run to take a 42-33 lead into halftime. UC San Diego forced four turnovers and kept the Gauchos without a field goal for the final 3:25 of the half.
Hayden Gray led UC San Diego with nine first half points, five rebounds and three steals. The Tritons held a 22-15 lead on the glass and UC San Diego scored 20 points in the paint compared to just two for UC Santa Barbara.
Gray began the second half with a steal and a layup to give the Tritons a 44-33 lead right off the bat. UC Santa Barbara fought back to get within one, 50-49, on a Colin Smith jumper with 11 minutes left. The Tritons rebuilt their lead and went up eight on a bucket from Tait-Jones in the paint.
UC San Diego was 13-of-16 at the free throw line in the second half including some clutch shots down the stretch to seal the win.
QUOTABLE
TRITON TIDBITS
- The Tritons forced 18 turnovers while committing only seven. UC San Diego entered the night ranked third nationally in turnover margin.
- UC San Diego has now won three straight over the Gauchos.
- The Tritons led for the final 32 minutes of the game.
- The game was part of the conference's new Bold Week initiative with two conference play dates in early December.
- Thursday marked the third straight game in which UC San Diego outrebounded its opponent.
UP NEXT
UC San Diego returns to La Jolla for its Big West home opener on Saturday against Cal State Bakersfield. The Tritons and Roadrunners square off for a 7 p.m. tip on ESPN+. It's Youth Night at LionTree Arena and tickets can be purchased through the
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 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.
