UCSD men’s basketball head coach Greg Lanthier approached this weekend’s road trips against the California Collegiate Athletic Association’s top two teams with the goal of “”closing the gap from the last time we played them.”” The Triton’s returned to San Diego at the end of the weekend with losses to both Cal Poly Pomona and CSU San Bernardino; however, the team accomplished its goal and was more competitive with both teams.
Feb. 21 proved to be a defensive matchup in Pomona, Calif., leading to the low final score of 57-41. Pomona contained the Tritons all evening and was able to come out with the win.
In the first eight minutes, Pomona took off on a 24-5 run, giving it an eventual 12-point lead at half time. The game was not over, however, and the Tritons came out in the second half with an 18-8 run, closing the gap to just two at 40-38 with 10 minutes to go in the game. Pomona took over at that point with 11 straight points to lead the rest of the game.
Jordan Watkins lead UCSD in scoring with 10 points and eight rebounds on the evening. Ryan Rikansrud followed with nine points.
Pomona’s defense prevented any breakout scorers from the UCSD team, holding the Tritons’ shooting percentage below 30.
On Feb. 22 in San Bernardino, Calif., the home team took off on a 39-22 lead in the first half, a deficit the Tritons could never overcome.
In the second half, however, the Tritons came out with Lanthier’s goal, “”A nothing-to-lose attitude,”” and stayed within three on the half. The 49-46 second half, however, lead to a 20-point loss of 88-68 to San Bernardino.
Even in the loss, the offense improved from Feb. 21, leading to a higher team score and a 7 percent improvement in shooting.
Matthew Sweeny lead the team with 17 points and five rebounds. He was 6-for-13 from the field on the evening, making three shots from behind the three-point arc.
Matthew Conti also aided the Tritons off the bench with 14 points and seven rebounds.
Freshman Zach Zanolli followed with eight points. In just seven minutes of playing time, he was 2-for-3 from the floor and made two free throws.
Next weekend, the Tritons go on the road for the last time to face UC Davis and Chico State before returning for their last set of home games at RIMAC Arena March 7 and March 8.
