LOS ANGELES – Junior
Leo Beath led four Tritons in double figures with 15 points as the Tritons outlasted LMU, 67-57, Tuesday night in Gersten Pavilion. UC San Diego overcame a sluggish start on the way to its third consecutive win, improving to 10-1 on the season.
Tom Beattie added 12 points and six rebounds, freshman
Hudson Mayes scored 11 with five rebounds, and
Emanuel Prospere II added 10 points, four rebounds, and four assists in the win.
Aidan Burke pulled down nine rebounds and
Bol Dengdit added eight; the Tritons held a commanding 43-30 advantage on the glass.
LMU (7-4) has dropped three straight.
HOW IT HAPPENED
It was an uncharacteristically slow start for UC San Diego Tuesday, as the Tritons missed their first eight field goal attempts (five from beyond the arc) and LMU built a 6-0 lead. The visitors broke the seal on a Beath free throw out of the game's first media timeout. Back-to-back layups from Mayes – an LA-area native – and one from Burke got the Tritons right back in it. A three-pointer from
Alex Chaikin in the corner gave UC San Diego its first lead of the night, 15-14, at the 10:25 mark.
UC San Diego closed the first half on a 13-3 run to take a 34-26 lead into halftime. Mayes led UC San Diego with seven points, with Beath chipping in six. Despite missing their first eight shots of the game, the Tritons still hit 42% of their attempts over the first 20 minutes. UC San Diego dominated inside, outrebounding LMU, 21-15, and the Tritons scored 24 points in the paint to the Lions' 12.
As the second half got underway, the Tritons built their largest lead of the night – 39-28 – on a driving layup from
Emanuel Prospere II with 16:16 to play. LMU answered with a 10-2 run of its own to draw within three, 41-38, and force a UC San Diego timeout with 11:42 left.
The Tritons responded and connected on five straight field goals – including a driving reverse layup from Mayes, to build the lead back up to nine, 55-46.
LMU drew to within four, 59-55, with five minutes to go, but could get no closer.
TRITON TIDBITS
- UC San Diego is tied for first nationally in wins away from home (road + neutral) this season with seven.
- The Tritons outscored LMU 46-22 in the paint. The 46 points inside matched a season high.
- The Tritons are now 9-0 (3-0 on the road) when leading at halftime and have won 37 straight when leading at the break.
- Tuesday was the second meeting between the Tritons and Lions. UC San Diego is 2-0 against LMU (also an 87-82 win in 1983 when the Tritons were a Division III program).
- UC San Diego hit a season-low four three-pointers.
QUOTABLE
UP NEXT
After 34 days away from home, UC San Diego finally returns to La Jolla as the Tritons wrap up WCC Week by hosting USD Friday at LionTree Arena. The teams will be concluding their four-game series, with the Tritons having won two of the three prior meetings. Tickets can be purchased through the
Triton Box Office, and Friday's game can be seen on ESPN+ and heard on KSDT radio, with a link to live stats found 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.
