HONOLULU – Five Tritons scored in double figures led by 24 from
Aniwaniwa Tait-Jones, but host Hawai'i earned a 94-86 overtime victory in front of 4,249 inside SimpliFi Arena at Stan Sheriff Center Thursday night.
The win gave the Rainbow Warriors (13-11 overall, 5-7 Big West) a season split with UC San Diego. The loss was the second straight for the Tritons, who fell to 15-9 overall and 9-3 in conference action.
Tait-Jones was one of five UC San Diego players to finish in double figures.
Tyler McGhie scored 16,
Hayden Gray added 13 with four assists,
Francis Nwaokorie chipped in 12 before fouling out, and
Bryce Pope finished with ten. UC San Diego finished with just seven turnovers, but the Tritons – Big West leaders at better than nine three-pointers per game – were limited to just four makes in 18 tries from distance against one of the nation's toughest defensive teams from the perimeter.
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Rainbow Warriors struck first, getting a bucket on a pull-up jumper from Justin McKoy. But the Tritons then kept Hawai'i scoreless for five minutes while going on an 8-0 run as UC San Diego went up, 8-2. The Tritons extended their lead to 10-4 with Nwaokorie's first layup of the night.
Hawai'i cut the Tritons' lead to two, 20-18, before UC San Diego scored seven straight over the next minute to go up 27-18 and force a Rainbow Warriors' timeout with 5:05 left in the first half. Back-to-back threes from Hawai'i cut UC San Diego's lead to three, 27-24, with 3:31 left.
That three-point Triton lead would hold into halftime, with UC San Diego up, 37-34.
UC San Diego was limited to just one three-pointer in the first half – McGhie from the corner – but the Tritons scored 28 points in the point and shot 52% overall. Tait-Jones led the visitors with eight points and four rebonds, and Gray and Nwaokorie added seven each.
It was a sluggish start to the second half for UC San Diego, as Hawai'i went up eight, 54-46, with 11:04 left. The Tritons battled back and used an 8-0 run to regain the lead, 66-63, with 5:13 to play. The teams heated up offensively down the stretch, combining to connect on 12 consecutive field goals.
The score was tied at 72 with 3:01 left. UC San Diego led, 78-75, with fewer than 15 seconds to play, but a three from UH's Juan Muñoz sent the game to overtime.
In the extra period, Hawai'i hit on 5-of-7 shots – including both three-point attempts – on the way to the victory.
TRITON TIDBITS
- Thursday was UC San Diego's 100th game competing at the NCAA Division I level.
- McGhie's three late in the first half gave UC San Diego 361 consecutive games with at least one made three-pointer, dating back to the Division II era. The last game in which the Tritons failed to make at least one three came on Dec. 3, 2011 at Cal State L.A.
- Thursday was the Tritons' second overtime game of the season.
- Hawai'i out-rebounded UC San Diego, 40-24.
- UC San Diego has led or been tied at halftime in 11 of 12 Big West games this season. The Tritons are 12-5 when leading at the half.
- UC San Diego has used the same starting lineup in all 24 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 every game (Wisconsin is the other).
QUOTABLE
"I'm really proud of our effort tonight. We showed a lot of resilience and toughness," said UC San Diego head coach
Eric Olen. "I thought early in the second half we left some points out there with some missed free throws and a couple layups. That's not to take anything away from [Hawai'i]; they came up big and made plays."
UP NEXT
UC San Diego will enjoy a bye on Saturday before returning to LionTree Arena for a pair of Big West games next week. The Tritons will host UC Santa Barbara on Thursday (7 p.m.) and Cal State Fullerton on Feb. 17 (Youth Day, 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.
