KISSIMMEE, Fla. – UC San Diego junior
Leo Beath scored a season-high 29 – including 21 in the second half – as the Tritons pulled away from Temple, 91-76, in the first round of the Terry's Chocolate ESPN Events Invitational Monday afternoon at State Farm Fieldhouse.
Aidan Burke and
Bol Dengdit each scored 12 to lead UC San Diego in the win. Grad student
Emanuel Prospere II scored eight, grabbed five rebounds and dished out a season-high eight assists without committing a turnover for the Tritons, and
Tom Beattie chipped in 9 points, seven boards, and a personal-best six assists.
At 5-0, the Tritons are off to their best start in the program's Division I era (2020-present). UC San Diego will face Bradley in Tuesday's semifinal at 5 p.m. ET (2 p.m. PT).
Temple fell to 3-2 with the setback in the first-ever meeting between the programs.
HOW IT HAPPENED
It was a fast start for the Tritons, as
Aidan Burke knocked down two quick three-pointers and
Tom Beattie hit a floater as the shot clock expired to give UC San Diego an early 8-4 advantage. A couple of triples from
Alex Chaikin kept the Tritons even with the Owls as Temple hit four consecutive field goals.
Bol Dengdit hit a turnaround jumper in the paint to cap an 8-0 UC San Diego run, forcing a Temple timeout with 6:44 left and the Tritons up, 30-25.
UC San Diego ran out on a 9-0 spurt to go up 39-31, capped by Chaikin's third three-pointer of the half. The Tritons led by 11, 47-36, at the break. Burke and Chaikin led the way with nine points apiece, with
Leo Beath adding eight. UC San Diego hit 8-of-16 from distance in the first half and shot 60% overall.
Tom Beattie and
Emanuel Prospere II each had four first half assists without a turnover.
Led by Beath's scoring prowess, UC San Diego shot 65% after halftime to pull away.
TRITON TIDBITS
- With Monday's win, the Tritons have won 16 consecutive regular season games dating back to January.
- UC San Diego has won six consecutive games in the Eastern Time Zone dating back to 2022.
- Beath's 29 points was a season high, three off his career-high of 32 set last year in Division II.
- UC San Diego shot 62.5% for the game – the second-highest field goal percentage for the Tritons in any Division I game. UC San Diego shot 67.9% in its first-ever win over a Division I foe (vs. UC Davis, Jan. 22, 2021).
- The Tritons committed a season-low five turnovers in the win.
- The UC San Diego starting lineup was Emanuel Prospere II, Aidan Burke, Tom Beattie, Leo Beath and Bol Dengdit for the fifth game in a row.
- UC San Diego wore its white uniforms as the designated home team.
QUOTABLE
UP NEXT
UC San Diego will take on Bradley (3-3) Tuesday in the ESPN Events Invitational semifinal at 5 p.m. ET/2 p.m. PT. The Braves downed Princeton, 88-64, in the nightcap Monday. Tuesday's game will be broadcast nationally on ESPN2, 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.
