The Triton men’s basketball team started out the winter season with a successful weekend on the road. Wins over Cal State Dominguez Hills and Cal State Los Angeles, both members of the California Collegiate Athletic Association, raised UCSD’s overall record to 4-7 on the season. Additionally, the Triton team shot above .500 from the field on both nights, and the team also remained above .500 from beyond the three-point arc against CSULA.
Until the game on Jan. 10, CSUDH was virtually unbeatable for the Tritons, whose 62-57 win marked the first time UCSD beat the Toros in 25 years. The Tritons trailed by two at halftime with a score of 32-30 and faced their biggest deficit when the Toros came out of the locker room and scored four unanswered points to start the second half. However, UCSD eventually responded with its own 11-2 run and permanently claimed the lead with five minutes to play in the game.
On Jan. 11, the Tritons took their game to CSULA, where they completed their weekend sweep, giving the team its first two-game winning streak since they entered the CCAA in the 2000-01 season. The Tritons beat their conference rivals, 72-55, and returned home unbeaten over the weekend.
Junior Sean Crawford proved to be a huge asset for the Tritons as their leading point contributor both evenings. Crawford began on Jan. 10 by scoring a game-high 20 points, and then matched that on Jan. 11 when he again scored 20 points. Against the Toros, Crawford’s three-point shot tied the game with just over five minutes left, and on the next possession, another basket from behind the arc gave UCSD a lead that it held the rest of the game. In the game against CSULA, Crawford went 5 of 8 from three-point range, and he was 7 of 11 from the field.
Triton freshman forward Adam Snyder also proved to be a strong contributor for the Tritons by scoring 15 points both nights. He also returned to San Diego with 17 rebounds on the weekend, 12 of which came over CSULA. Sophomore guard Jordan Watkins was the other player to score in double digits each night, scoring 12 points in both games. His consistency with 10 rebounds and five assists on the weekend also proved valuable.
This weekend, CSU San Bernardino and Cal Poly Pomona will both travel to RIMAC Arena to face UCSD, where the Tritons will attempt to continue their two-game winning streak. UCSD will play CSUSB on Jan. 17 and Cal Poly Pomona on Jan. 18.
