Chalk it up as learning experience. The Tritons’ men’s basketball team engaged in a couple more rough Division II California Collegiate Athletic Association matches over the weekend, and had nothing to show for it Sunday morning except some growth as a team, some upper circuit seasoning, a boatload of aching body parts and two more notches in the loss column.
Friday night, the Tritons went knuckle-to-knuckle with the Sonoma State Cossacks and Saturday they did battle against the San Francisco State Gators in a closely contested match.
The Sonoma State game was not a lively affair for the blue and gold hopefuls. Held up north in Rohneert Park, the tilt saw frosty Triton shooting and a consistent Cossack offensive attack. In front of a crowd of 519, the Tritons looked shaky from the opening whistle as the team shot only 29 percent in the first period.
The three-point shot, which the Tritons have depended heavily upon all season as a main offensive weapon, misfired horrendously in this match. UCSD shot only three of 14 from behind the three-point arc.
Sonoma State was led by the stellar play of Matt Knudsen, who had a game-high 20 points on eight of 13 shooting. Trevor Howe was also a main contributor for the Cossacks, netting 14 points and pulling down six rebounds, while center Chris Oliver chipped in with 10 points and nine rebounds.
UCSD had Kyle Moyneur come off the bench to throw down a solid nine points on 3-6 shooting. Another Triton standout this night was Sam Higgins, who also had nine points to go with his six rebounds.
It was not to be for the Tritons, however, as in response to a late surge by UCSD to pull within six, at 40-34, late in the game, the home team went on a 13-0 tear, effectively shutting the door on the Tritons’ hopes for a win. The victory upped the Cossacks record to 7-8 in league play and 10-10 overall.
The San Francisco game was a largely different affair. The teams appeared evenly matched from the opening tipoff, and the lead seesawed between the squads throughout the game.
At halftime, the Tritons were up by a score of 35-32, but SFSU outscored the Tritons by those same three points in the second half, which included a 16-8 Gator run to knot the game at 67 points apiece at the end of regulation. The Tritons could not get their act together in the overtime frame, and were outscored 8-4 to drop the match 71-75.
The Gators saw exemplary play from senior Marcus Adcock, who had 19 points on the night. Behind him, DeKiethi Walton and Daymian Turner each knocked down 16 points in the victory.
The Tritons’ effort was a team display, as four UCSD ballers were in double figures. Christenson led with 15 points, while Higgins had 14. Cole Miller and Erik Ramp were good for 12 each.
With the victory, SFSU’s record rose to 2-14 in conference and 4-17 overall, while the Tritons’ seasonlong tally flopped to 2-14 in CCAA play and 3-18 overall.
The Tritons will next be in action this weekend, when they have matches against CSU Stanislaus Friday night and CSU Bakersfield Saturday. Both games start at 8 p.m. sharp and will be held at the illustrious Macky Arena here at UCSD.
