The UCSD men’s basketball team rolled into San Francisco State University Friday, Feb. 1 on a high note, having won its last three of four games and riding strong on momentum entering the “”Swamp”” in San Francisco.
This game featured strong play from starting forwards sophomore Ryan Swed and junior Jody Woods.
In the first half, UCSD shot a low 40 percent on 8-20 shooting, while SFSU shot a sizzling 53.6 percent on 15 baskets on 28 attempts. SFSU built a lead in the first half and could have taken advantage of turnovers and missed shots by the Tritons, but the key stat was free throws. The Tritons made nine of 12 attempts, while SFSU attempted four and made only two. The score at the end of the half was UCSD, 28 and SFSU, 35.
In the second half, both teams caught fire from the field and the Tritons made 13 shots of 28 attempts, a percentage of 46.4 percent and SFSU connected on 14 of 25 attempts (56.0 percent). Yet the difference again was the charity stripe. San Francisco attempted six times as many as its first-half attempts, making 16 of 24 attempts. UCSD attempted 14 shots from the line but made only eight of them.
The play of SFSU shooting guard Steve Hankle was strong in the second half, when he made five of 10 free throws to deal the victory. Hankle finished with 24 points and starting forward Dante Carey finished with 16 points to lead the Gators to a 82-65 victory over the Tritons.
Woods had a team-high 15 points, with six of 10 shoot from the field. Swed finished with 14 points as he made five of six from the free-throw line.
The next day, the Tritons completed their northern roadtrip with a visit to Sonoma State University.
The Cossacks, who entered the game with a seven-game losing streak, were too much for the Tritons Saturday night, and handed UCSD a 76-69 loss.
Sonoma State’s Arinze Anoruo led the Cossacks with 15 points, and the balanced SSU scoring attack included all five starters scoring in double digits.
The Tritons were led by Hassan Bassiri, who exploded for 24 points in the game, despite going into the game averaging just over seven points per game. Bassiri was the only Triton to finish in double figures.
The Cossacks shot 43 percent from the field against the Tritons, while UCSD was held to a 32.8 shooting percentage from the floor.
The Tritons must now face California State University Stanislaus on Feb. 8. The team enters the game with a record of 7-14, 4-10 in California Collegiate Athletic Association play.
