IRVINE, Calif. – UC San Diego freshman
Hudson Mayes scored a critical basket with 13 seconds to play, propelling the Tritons to a 71-69 win at first-place UC Irvine Saturday night inside the Bren Events Center. Mayes, the reigning Big West Player of the Week, finished with 17 points and eight rebounds in the win. UC San Diego (19-9 overall, 9-7 Big West) has clinched a spot in the Big West Championship next month in Henderson, Nevada.
The Tritons have won 11 games away from home, and Saturday's victory was No. 100 for UC San Diego as a Division I program. Sophomore
Alex Chaikin added 15 for the Tritons thanks to three three-pointers, with Junior
Tom Beattie adding 11 and freshman
Jaden Vance scoring ten with five rebounds and two critical blocked shots.
Jurian Dixon scored 22 for the Anteaters (18-10, 11-5). UCI is now in a three-way tie for first, alongside Hawai'i and CSUN with four games remaining.
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Tritons were hot early from beyond the arc, knocking down four of their first six three-point tries.
Tom Beattie got the barrage started, Vance drained a pair, and Chaikin hit one from deep on the win as UC San Diego ran out to a 17-8 lead at the 11:39 mark. Coming out of the timeout,
Bol Dengdit got in on the act from three and the Tritons were up a dozen.
Hudson Mayes added two buckets, and UC San Diego's 13-0 run made it 24-8 in favor of the visitors. UCI finally broke the drought, but
Alex Chaikin answered with a three-pointer and the Tritons were up 15.
Unsurprisingly, the Anteaters answered with a run of their own. UC Irvine scored 10 straight and the Tritons' lead was cut to seven, 32-25, with 2:44 left in the half. It was even from there, and UC San Diego was up 36-29 at the half.
Chaikin led the Tritons with 10 first half points. Dengdit added seven points and four assists. Mayes added four points and six rebounds. UC San Diego knocked down seven three-pointers and out-rebounded the home team, 21-17.
The Anteaters pulled back in front, 41-40, on a three from Andre Henry. A coast-to-coast laup from Beattie, a driving layup from Vance and a three from Mayes put the Tritons in front with 12:45 still to play.
With 3:48 to play, Chaikin buried another three – his third in five tries – and the Tritons were up, 65-58. A three from Jurian Dixon gave UC Irvine a one-point advantage and a Mayes layup put the lead right back in favor of UC San Diego. His bucket with 11 seconds to play sealed the win.
TRITON TIDBITS
- The Tritons led, 36-29, at halftime. UC San Diego is 16-1 when leading at the half.
- The Tritons have won three of their last four games in Irvine.
- UC San Diego improved to 4-1 in February.
- The Tritons pulled down 11 offensive rebounds in Saturday's victory – their 13th game this season with 10+ offensive boards.
- Bol Dengdit celebrated his birthday with a career-high five assists.
QUOTABLE
UP NEXT
UC San Diego is back in La Jolla for its final two home games next week. Up first: the Tritons host Cal State Bakersfield Thursday at 7 p.m. Tickets can be purchased through the
Triton Box Office. The game will air live on ESPN+ and KSDT radio, 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.
