HONOLULU – UC San Diego erased a 12-point deficit but host Hawai'i was red hot down the stretch in a 72-67 Rainbow Warriors' victory over the Tritons Saturday night at Bankoh Arena at Stan Sheriff Center. Making his third career start, Triton freshman
Hudson Mayes posted a double-double – his third – with 12 points and ten rebounds.
Tom Beattie finished with 14 points, and
Bol Dengdit and
Alex Chaikin each added 11 for UC San Diego (16-9 overall, 6-7 Big West).
Hawai'i improved to 14-1 at home with the win. The Rainbow Warriors (17-5, 9-3) moved into a first-place tie atop the conference standings.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Hawai'i hit five of its first six shot attempts and forced four quick UC San Diego turnovers. The Rainbow Warriors were up 11-0 less than three minutes in. The Tritons took a timeout and freshman
Jaden Vance completed a three-point play with a driving layup and a free throw to get the visitors on the scoreboard. A three-pointer from
Cade Pendleton and a three-point play by
Hudson Mayes cut the deficit to 15-9.
Mayes began 3-for-3 shooting (seven points) and the Tritons inched closer. Once down 12, UC San Diego trailed by only two at halftime, 34-32. Chaikin sank a three-pointer and a free throw over the final minute to bring UC San Diego within a bucket at the break.
One minute into the second half,
Tom Beattie buried a three-pointer to give UC San Diego its first lead of the night, 37-36. A contested jumper in the lane from Chaikin capped a 7-0 Tritons run.
Hawai'i hit six-of-eight while the Tritons went cold, knocking down only one shot in 12 attempts as UH took a 62-52 lead with three minutes to play.
The Tritons hit free throws and got an enormous three-pointer from
Aidan Burke to hang around, down four with 30 seconds to play. Hawai'i hit free throws, and
Leo Beath drained a three. UH was up 69-67 with 13.5 seconds left, but the Tritons could get no closer.
TRITON TIDBITS
- The Rainbow Warriors outrebounded the Tritons, 47-26. UH leads The Big West in rebound margin.
- UC San Diego did a much better job with ball control in the second half. After committing nine first half turnovers, the Tritons had only two after halftime.
- This was the first win for Hawai'i over UC San Diego since an overtime victory here in February 2024.
- Saturday was the final regular season meeting between the Tritons and Rainbow Warriors as Big West foes. Hawai'i will move to the Mountain West next season.
QUOTABLE
"When you dig yourself a hole, it takes a lot of energy to get back into it. I think we ran out of gas, between travel and playing guys heavy minutes," said UC San Diego head coach
Clint Allard '08. "While there are no moral victories, we feel strongly about the group that we have and what we're capable of. It's that time of the year where we've got to start playing our best basketball."
UP NEXT
UC San Diego returns to LionTree Arena for a pair of home games next week – the Tritons' first non-split week of travel during Big West play this season. On Thursday, the Tritons host UC Davis (7 p.m.). The game will be broadcast on ESPN+ and KSDT, with a link to live stats on UCSDTritons.com. Tickets can be purchased through
Triton Box Office.
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.
