KISSIMMEE, Fla. – UC San Diego junior
Leo Beath finished with 26 as the Tritons outlasted Bradley, 87-77, in the Terry's Chocolate ESPN Events Invitational semifinal Tuesday evening at State Farm Field House. The Tritons advance to the championship game of the Adventure Bracket on Wednesday, where they will take on Towson at Noon EST on ESPN2. In a physical contest, UC San Diego erased a 9-point first half deficit on the way to the win over the Braves.
Beath (also five rebounds, three steals and two assists) was one of four Tritons to score in double figures, joined by a career-high 16 from
Aidan Burke, 13 from
Tom Beattie (with seven rebounds, four assists and no turnovers), and a career-high 10 from freshman
Hudson Mayes. The Tritons matched their season-high with 12 three-pointers while scoring 26 points in the paint.
UC San Diego (6-0) is off to the best start in the program's Division I era (2020-present). Bradley dropped to 3-4 with the loss in the first-ever meeting between the programs.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Bradley was hot out of the gate, building a 13-4 advantage on a three-pointer from Montana Wheeler just four minutes into the game. The Tritons weren't rattled and settled into the flow of the game. A three from Burke, a bucket in the paint from Beath, and a couple of Mayes free throws drew UC San Diego back within two. Triton newcomer
Trap Johnson made an impact off the bench, hitting his first career three and following that up with a driving layup.
A three from Burke – his third of the first half – gave the Tritons their first lead of the game, 25-23, at the 7:20 mark. A second three from Johnson, a driving layup from Mayes, and a fast break layup from Beattie put the Tritons in front, 36-31, and forced the Braves to call timeout with 3:42 on the clock.
UC San Diego got 12 from Beath and 11 from Burke to lead 44-33 at the break. Johnson added a career-high eight and Beath added a pair of steals. The Tritons hit eight three-pointers over the first 20 minutes, getting 16 bench points.
In the second half, the Tritons took their biggest lead of the game, 56-43, when Beath hit a layup and was fouled. Bradley responded with an 11-1 burst to get back within three, 57-54, with 12:16 still to play. Beath buried a three with 7:32 on the clock to build UC San Diego's lead back up to eight.
The Tritons led by 11 but Bradley responded with eight straight to draw within three, 76-73, with just under three minutes remaining. A Beath floater in the paint extended UC San Diego's lead to five. Up by a bucket, a Beattie three in front of the bench and a Mayes layup helped the Tritons hang on.
TRITON TIDBITS
- UC San Diego has now won 33 consecutive games when leading at halftime going back to 2024. The Tritons are 5-0 this season when leading at the break.
- With Tuesday's win, the Tritons have won 19 consecutive regular season games dating back to January.
- Since 2022, UC San Diego has won seven consecutive games in the Eastern Time Zone – including five straight in Central Florida.
- For the sixth consecutive game, the UC San Diego starting lineup was Emanuel Prospere II, Aidan Burke, Tom Beattie, Leo Beath and Bol Dengdit.
- UC San Diego wore its navy blue uniforms as the designated visiting team.
QUOTABLE
UP NEXT
UC San Diego takes on Towson (5-2) for the Terry's Chocolate ESPN Events Invitational championship Wednesday at Noon ET (9 am in San Diego). The Tigers advanced to the title game with a 72-69 victory over Liberty. The championship 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.
