FRESNO, Calif. – UC San Diego let a 13-point lead slip away before rallying to down Fresno State, 78-73, Wednesday night in front of 2,950 inside Save Mart Center.
Leo Beath scored 14 second half points (22 total) to key the win for the Tritons, who improved to 3-0 on the season. UC San Diego drained a season-best 12 three-pointers in the win.
Fresno State got 16 from Jake Heidbreder, falling to 2-2 with the home loss.
HOW IT HAPPENED
UC San Diego got the scoring started immediately off the tip, with
Bol Dengdit completing a three-point play. The Triton defense was strong early, holding the Bulldogs off the board for the first two and a half minutes of the game. A tip-in from
Emanuel Prospere II and a fast break layup from
Tom Beattie gave the Tritons a 7-3 advantage at the first media timeout. UC San Diego built an 11-5 lead, but a 9-0 spurt by the Bulldogs briefly put the home team in front.
Alex Chaikin drained a three and Prospere completed a three-point play to put UC San Diego on top by four with 11:38 on the clock. The Tritons hit six-of-eight field goal tries during that stretch. On the other end, the Tritons' defense forced a shot clock violation.
UC San Diego defense remained locked in, and the Tritons built a 42-30 lead at the half. The Tritons limited Fresno State to just 38% shooting, forcing 10 turnovers. On the other end, Beattie and
Leo Beath each scored eight to lead the way. Beath knocked down a couple of three-pointers.
In the second half, UC San Diego led 52-39 before a 9-0 Bulldog run drew Fresno State to within four. Beath drove the lane and his floater ended the run and stopped the home team's momentum briefly. The run was 15-2 for the Bulldogs, who tied the game at 54-54. A corner three from Chaikin put UC San Diego back in front.
The Bulldogs answered with eight straight of their own, forcing a UC San Diego timeout with 9:00 to play. The Tritons battled back to tie it on a driving layup from Beattie, who was fouled on the play.
Trailing by two, a Chaikin three with a hand in his face gave UC San Diego a 69-68 lead with just over two minutes left, and a three-ball from Beath extended the lead to 72-68 with 1:45 remaining.
TRITON TIDBITS
- Dating back to January, the Tritons have won 14 consecutive regular season games.
- UC San Diego requested a coach's challenge, questioning an out-of-bounds call with just under eight minutes to go in the first half. The challenge was successful.
- Each team grabbed 36 rebounds, with the Tritons earning a slim 32-30 edge in points in the paint.
- The Tritons committed 18 turnovers – their most in a game since a win at Utah State last December.
- The UC San Diego starting lineup was Emanuel Prospere II, Aidan Burke, Tom Beattie, Leo Beath and Bol Dengdit for the third consecutive game.
- UC San Diego wore its navy blue jerseys for the first time this season.
QUOTABLE
UP NEXT
UC San Diego returns to LionTree Arena to host Idaho for a Saturday matinee. It's youth day in La Jolla, featuring postgame autographs. Tip is set for 1 p.m. and tickets can be purchased through the Triton Box Office. The game will be broadcast on ESPN+ and KSDT radio, with a link to 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 has begun a new era as a member of The Big West in NCAA Division I. The 24-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 garnered 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 NCAA Division I or II. For more information on the Tritons, visit UCSDtritons.com or follow UC San Diego Athletics on social media @UCSDtritons.
