LA JOLLA, Calif. – UC San Diego junior
Leo Beath posted a double-double with 16 points and 10 rebounds – both game highs, but visiting UC Irvine secured a 61-59 victory over the Tritons Saturday night in front of a sellout crowd of 4,000 at LionTree Arena. Freshman
Hudson Mayes scored 12 points for UC San Diego (15-6 overall, 5-4 Big West), with junior
Tom Beattie chipping in eight points and seven rebounds.
UC Irvine had four in double figures as the Anteaters remained atop the Big West standings at 7-2 (14-7 overall).
The back-and-forth game featured five ties and eight lead changes.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Energized by the home crowd, the Tritons came out strong, burying four quick three-pointers (on eight tries) to build a 16-8 lead less than eight minutes in.
UC Irvine answered with a 10-0 spurt to take a brief 18-16 lead before a jumper from
Emanuel Prospere II tied the score. The Tritons offense went cold, hitting just that Prospere shot in nine attempts. The Anteaters went up by six, but UC San Diego responded with an 8-0 run – capped by a three-point play from
Dimitrije Vukicevic – to go back on top, 26-24, with 2:06 left in the half.
Unsurprisingly, these two teams were tied, 28-28, at the half. Each team secured 21 first half rebounds. Beath led UC San Diego with eight points, though the Tritons were limited to just 31% shooting.
Both teams shot the ball well to start the second half, with UCI hitting 9-of-15 and UC San Diego knocking down 5-of-10. The Anteaters were up, 49-42 – their largest lead – with 11:58 to play. UCI was on top 57-51 when Beath reeled off four straight points. A driving layup followed by a rebound on the other end and a pullup jumper in the paint drew UC San Diego within two and forced an Anteaters timeout with 4:42 left. Two Beath free throws tied the score with 4:16 on the clock.
A driving layup from Prospere with 3:47 once again tied the score, but those would be the Tritons' final points of the night. A Jurian Dixon jumper with 29 seconds remaining lifted the Anteaters to the road win.
TRITON TIDBITS
- UC Irvine has won two straight in La Jolla. The Tritons were winners last year in Irvine as well as in The Big West championship game.
- Emanuel Prospere II scored eight points, pulled down six rebounds, had five assists and three steals with only one turnover.
- The Anteaters entered the night leading The Big West in field goal percentage defense.
- For the fourth game in a row: UC San Diego used the same starting five: Prospere, Alex Chaikin, Beattie, Beath, and Bol Dengdit.
QUOTABLE
UP NEXT
UC San Diego remains home to host UC Santa Barbara Thursday for the annual Spirit Night. Tickets can be purchased through the
Triton Box Office. The game will be broadcast on ESPN+ and KSDT, 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.
