LA JOLLA, Calif. – UC San Diego (16-4, 6-2 Big West) claimed a convincing 77-63 Spirit Night victory over UC Santa Barbara (12-7, 4-4 Big West) on Thursday in front of a lively LionTree Arena crowd of 3,442. The Tritons remain second in The Big West with the win.
Coming off a massive 32-point effort against UC Riverside, Aniwaniwa Tait-Jones led the team once again, going 9-for-12 and finishing with 25 points. Nordin Kapic contributed a team-leading eight rebounds, recording an additional 12 points.
Eight Tritons snagged a steal on Thursday, led by Tait-Jones and Chris Howell's two each.
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Gauchos drew an early lead in the first half, converting a pair of free throws and layups for a 6-2 lead by the first media timeout. The break proved pivotal as
Hayden Gray snatched a 12-11 lead with back-to-back threes before the midway point. The hosts continued to heat up from here, embarking on a 20-3 run over five minutes to create a 10-point cushion at 24-14.
The Tritons also stayed disciplined on defense, keeping the Gauchos to 1-of-8 from the field at one point, translating to a four-minute scoreless stretch. UC San Diego finished the half with eight steals, to UC Santa Barbara's one.
The Gauchos scored eight straight to momentarily break through the double-digit deficit. However, a 9-0 Triton run opened a 17-point lead, the widest of the half. UC San Diego led 44-31 at halftime.
UC San Diego opted for a more calculated, patient approach in the second half, beginning with a pair of layups and free throws from Tait-Jones for a 50-34 advantage. The tactic, centered around paint points, yielded a 25-point gap behind points from five Tritons.
The Tritons continued theirsuffocating defense in the second period. The team orchestrated a three-minute Gaucho scoring drought and allowed just two points in the following four minutes, which maintained their 20+ point lead through most of the half.
UC Santa Barbara carved out the beginnings of a comeback in the game's final four minutes, posting an 11-2 run and 71-58 scoreline amid a two-minute Triton scoring drought. However, the distance proved too wide to close for the visitors, even with intense double and triple team defense, as the game finished 77-63.
TRITON TIDBITS
- The Tritons swept their series against the Gauchos for the second consecutive season (84-76 win on Dec. 5).
- The crowd of 3,442 was the fourth largest at LionTree Arena in the program's Division I era.
- UC San Diego is now 6-2 in its last eight Spirit Night games, dating back to a 74-41 win over Cal State Monterey Bay on Feb. 3, 2017.
- The Tritons' 10 steals on Thursday night marks the third straight game the team has reached double-digits in this category, and the 15th time this season.
- Head coach Eric Olen has fielded the same starting five (Nordin Kapic, Aniwaniwa Tait-Jones, Hayden Gray, Chris Howell, Tyler McGhie) for the entire 2024-25 season.
QUOTABLE
UP NEXT
The Tritons close out the week with a 7 p.m. game at LionTree Arena against CSUN on Saturday. The game will be broadcast on ESPN+ and KSDT radio, with live statistics available via UCSDTritons.com. Tickets can be purchased through Triton Box Office.
