LA JOLLA, Calif. – UC San Diego junior
Francis Nwaokorie was one of three Tritons in double figures, scoring 13 points and grabbing 10 rebounds as the Tritons downed visiting UC Santa Barbara, 61-46, Thursday night in LionTree Arena. The Brooklyn Park, Minnesota native crossed both the 1,000-career point and 500 rebound marks on the way to the win.
The win gave the Tritons (16-9 overall, 10-3 Big West) a season sweep over the Gauchos for the first time as UC San Diego improved to 11-1 at home this season. The loss was the third consecutive for UC Santa Barbara (13-11, 6-8).
First year Triton
Aniwaniwa Tait-Jones added a double-double of his own with 13 and 12, and
Bryce Pope led all scorers with 15 in the win.
HOW IT HAPPENED
UC San Diego had an impressive first half inside, outscoring the Gauchos 24-16 in the paint and holding an 11-rebound advantage on the glass. UC San Diego's defense forced nine UCSB first half turnovers (while the Tritons committed just two).
The Tritons closed the first half on an 11-0 run to take a 39-20 lead into halftime. That run was punctuated by Nwaokorie dunk with time winding down in the half.
Tait-Jones nearly had a first half double-double, scoring 12 and grabbing nine rebounds. Nwaokorie scored eight and pulled down seven boards, with
J'Raan Brooks chipping in eight.
After halftime, the Tritons continued to apply defensive pressure, building a 54-27 lead with 12:54 to play. UC Santa Barbara cut the Triton lead under 20, but UC San Diego then held the Gauchos scoreless for more than four minutes late in the second half to secure the win.
TRITON TIDBITS
- Nwaokorie became the 17th Triton in program history to score 1,000 career points (and the fourth member of this year's team).
- The double-double was Nwaokorie's second of the season and the seventh of his career. Tait-Jones' was also his second this season.
- The 46 points surrendered by the Tritons are the fewest points ever by a Triton opponent in a Big West game.
- UC San Diego has led or been tied at halftime in 12 of 13 Big West games this season.
- The Tritons are 13-5 when leading at the half.
- UC San Diego has used the same starting lineup in all 25 games so far this season: Hayden Gray, Bryce Pope, Aniwaniwa Tait-Jones, Francis Nwaokorie, and J'Raan Brooks. The Tritons are one of two Division I teams to use the same starting lineup in each game (Wisconsin is the other).
QUOTABLE
UP NEXT
UC San Diego remains in LionTree Arena this weekend to host Cal State Fullerton on Saturday for Youth Day at 4 p.m. 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 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.
