The UCSD men’s basketball rang in the New Year with a win, ending its four-game losing streak on Jan. 2. A 55-45 victory against California Collegiate Athletic Association foe Cal State Los Angeles at the Eagles Nest in Los Angeles improved UCSD’s conference record to 2-1.
Contributing to UCSD’s victory was junior guard Brandon Francis, who poured in a game-high 18 points, scoring on four of seven attempts from three-point range. Francis had a team-high eight rebounds and three steals. Justin Naughton led the Eagles and poured in 14 points and 11 rebounds.
Before their victory over Cal State Los Angeles, the Tritons dropped four straight games, including two losses to Division I opponents San Diego State and University of San Diego. The Tritons also suffered losses to Seattle Pacific and to conference rival Grand Canyon.
On Dec. 6, UCSD traveled down Interstate 8 to take on the San Diego State Aztecs who have not yet lost to UCSD in their previous five matchups. SDSU easily defeated UCSD with a score of 76-51. The Aztecs never trailed the Tritons and shot 51 percent from the floor while UCSD shot 34 percent.
Despite the loss, UCSD men’s basketball head coach Greg Lanthier sees playing Division I opponents as a positive.
“”We don’t play games that are that fast very often,”” Lanthier said. “”Games like this will help us prepare for our conference play, because not all of the teams in our league get this opportunity [to play Division I opponents.]””
On Dec. 13, UCSD lost its home opener and first CCAA matchup to Grand Canyon, 62-56. Four Triton players scored double-digit numbers, led by freshman guard Robby Peters and redshirt freshman Adam Reinking, each tallying 12 points. Francis, a junior newcomer, and sophomore guard Matthew Sweany had 11 points each, with nine of Sweany’s points coming in the first half. Sophomore forward Matthew Conti grabbed a team-high seven rebounds, while redshirt freshman forward Parker Berling dished out a game-high five assists.
On Dec. 16, the Tritons then lost a second straight home game in their first ever meeting with Seattle Pacific, 80-67. UCSD led 49-47 in the second half, but this was its last lead of the night. For UCSD, Berling and Reinking had 15 and 13 points, respectively, with Berling adding three assists, a team-high six rebounds and a game-high four steals. The duo also combined for three dunks, two of them by Reinking. UCSD’s leading scorer, and junior forward Jesse Boyd made his return after a three game absence and produced 10 points for the Tritons.
UCSD lost to their other crosstown Division I foe, University of San Diego, on Dec. 23. The Tritons lost 81-66 to the Toreros on the road.
The Tritons played competitively, trailing 32-27 at the half. With only 7:10 remaining in the second half, UCSD led, 60-56. However, the Toreros successfully executed plays down the stretch and held on for the victory. This loss was the last nonconference game of the season for the Tritons.
UCSD, with a 2-6 record, returned to the road in CCAA action on Jan. 4, traveling to the Torodome in Carson, Calif., to take on Cal State Dominguez Hills. Results were unavailable at press time. Their next home game is on Jan. 9 against Cal Poly Pomona.
