FULLERTON, Calif. – UC San Diego used a 46-11 run over an 18-minute stretch spanning halftime as the Tritons rolled to a 90-51 victory over Cal State Fullerton on Saturday night at Titan Gym. Senior
Aniwaniwa Tait-Jones scored 24 on a remarkably efficient 8-of-10 shooting from the floor and 8-8 from the free throw line. Senior
Tyler McGhie added 23 in the win. It's the fourth time that duo has scored 20+ in the same game this season for UC San Diego (13-2 overall, 3-0 Big West).
The 39-point margin of victory was the largest ever in a Big West game for the Tritons, who have won 11 straight.
Cal State Fullerton fell to 5-11 and 0-4 in Big West action with Saturday's setback.
HOW IT HAPPENED
UC San Diego came out red hot, hitting four quick field goals in five tries. Combined with a pair of
Aniwaniwa Tait-Jones free throws, the Tritons ran out to a 10-2 lead – forcing a Cal State Fullerton timeout just three minutes in.
The Titans clawed back to within four, 16-12, before UC San Diego ran out on an 11-0 run over the next six minutes. McGhie knocked down two more three-pointers during the spurt as the Tritons led, 27-12, at 5:57.
The Tritons forced 12 first half Fullerton turnovers, converting the miscues into 17 points. That strong defense, combined with four three-pointers from McGhie, helped the Tritons to a 46-23 lead at the half. McGhie scored 18 in the first, with Tait-Jones adding nine points and three assists. UC San Diego was 13-for-16 from the charity stripe (81.3%).
UC San Diego scored the first 10 points of the second half, thanks to a three from
Hayden Gray, a pair of buckets and a free throw from Tait-Jones, and a McGhie layup – extending the Tritons' lead to 33, 56-23, with 15:42 left. The Tritons ended up scoring the first 15 points of the half, keeping the Titans without any points for the first seven and a half minutes of the period.
The Tritons went up by 50, 87-37, on an
Aidan Burke three-pointer late.
QUOTABLE
TRITON TIDBITS
- UC San Diego's 11-game win streak is the second-longest active streak in Division I (Tennessee, 14).
- The Tritons led by 23 points at halftime, the first time this season UC San Diego has held a double-digit lead at the break on the road.
- With four first half three-pointers Saturday, McGhie remained in the Division I lead. He's knocked down 62 so far this season.
- Gray had three more steals in Saturday's win, giving him an NCAA-leading 56 this season.
- The Tritons are one of 11 Division I teams with five active 1,000-point scorers on the roster.
- UC San Diego scored 38 points in the paint to 24 for Cal State Fullerton. The Tritons out-scored Fullerton inside, 20-6, after halftime.
UP NEXT
UC San Diego is back at LionTree Arena for a pair of conference games next week. Next up, the Tritons host Cal Poly on Jan. 9 at 7 p.m. Tickets can be purchased through the
Triton Box Office. The game will air on ESPN+ and KSDT, with 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.
