BAKERSFIELD, Calif. – UC San Diego secured a victory over CSU Bakersfield with a final score of 73-54 at Icardo Center on Thursday. UC San Diego improved to 21-4 overall and 11-2 in The Big West. The win clinched a spot in the Big West Championship next month in Henderson, Nev.
The victory was the Tritons' sixth straight, the longest active streak in The Big West. UC San Diego is now 12-2 away from LionTree Arena. UC San Diego hit 16 three-pointers for the second straight game and have made 15 or more six times this season. The Tritons led by 12 points at halftime and improved to 17-0 (7-0 on the road) when leading at the break.
Aniwaniwa Tait-Jones led the Tritons, scoring 20 points on 7-for-10 shooting, including three successful 3-pointers. This performance also saw him surpass 2,000 career points scored.
Hayden Gray also made a significant impact, contributing 12 points and connecting on three of four 3-point shots, while adding seven rebounds and three assists.
Cade Pendleton matched Gray's scoring with 12 points, all from beyond the arc, hitting four of eight 3-point attempts. Pendleton's 12 points also marked a career-high.
Chris Howell was effective defensively, recording two steals alongside his three assists.
The Roadrunners have an overall record of 10-16 with a 4-10 record in The Big West.
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UC San Diego returns to LionTree Arena to face UC Davis for the first time on Saturday at 4 p.m. Tickets can be purchased through Triton Box Office. Saturday's contest will also be broadcast on ESPN+ and KSDT with live stats available 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 Conference 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.
