LA JOLLA, Calif. – UC San Diego extended its unbeaten streak to seven, claiming an 85-60 victory over UC Davis at LionTree Arena on Saturday afternoon. The Tritons (22-4 overall, 12-2 Big West) maintain their first-place status in the Big West standings with six regular season games to play.
Tyler McGhie collected his 11th 20+ point game of the season on Saturday, shooting perfect from the free throw line on his way to a game-leading 22 points. Aniwaniwa Tait-Jones was a court-wide threat, recording 16 points, 6 rebounds and 6 assists. Defensively, Hayden Gray once again justified his Naismith Defensive Player of the Year nomination with 4 steals and a blocked shot, while contributing 13 points on the other end.
UC Davis (15-11, 9-6) had its three-game win streak snapped.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Despite three turnovers over the first four minutes, the Tritons drew a 7-4 lead by the first media timeout. UC San Diego turned the tables after the break, snagging three possessions away from UC Davis and going on a 6-0 run capped off by a trademark
Justin Rochelin alley-oop
to go up 15-9.
Threes rained down by the midpoint, led by Gray's trio of perimeter shots.
Nordin Kapic and Aiden Burke's threes established a double-digit lead that they would extend thereafter thanks to treys from Rochelin and McGhie; the Tritons' seven halftime threes created a 52-31 distance going into the tunnel.
The Aggies kicked off the second half with a 6-0 run before Chris Howell rifled in a three four minutes in. McGhie caught fire soon after with consecutive deep threes and discipline from the free throw line, cushioning a 64-39 lead. The Triton defense dialed in as well, forcing four Aggie turnovers to go with a four-minute scoring drought.
UC San Diego mixed it up with a few layups before going back to the perimeter to finish the game. UC Davis continued to push, going 5-for-5 on a 6-0 run to prompt a UC San Diego timeout at 76-59. Ryder Elisaldez went coast-to-coast for a layup in the final minute to cap off an 85-60 win.
TRITON TIDBITS
- The 22 victories are the most in a single season for UC San Diego in its brief Division I history.
- Saturday evening served as the team's Celebrating Black Excellence game, which featured a performance from the Tritonettes majorette team.
- The Tritons scored 80+ points for the ninth time in 14 Big West games.
- UC San Diego is now 18-0 when leading at halftime; it is also the third time this season the team has led a Big West game by 20+ at halftime.
- Head coach Eric Olen started Tyler McGhie, Aniwaniwa Tait-Jones, Hayden Gray, Maximo Milovich and Chris Howell on Saturday.
QUOTABLE
UP NEXT
UC San Diego heads northbound for a rematch against Cal Poly on Thursday; the Tritons took the first meeting on Jan. 9 by a score of 95-68 at LionTree Arena. The 7 p.m. tip off will be broadcast on ESPN+ with live statistics available via 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.
