The UCSD men’s basketball team played solidly over the last two weeks of the season, and despite losing to two of the top teams in the league on March 6 and March 7, the Tritons played determined and inspired basketball and did not go down without a fight.
On March 6, the Tritons traveled to play California Collegiate Athletic Association champion Cal State San Bernardino, who boasted a national best 30-game home winning streak. In front of a hostile crowd, UCSD gave everything it had, but came up short in its 88-76 loss.
Cal State San Bernardino got out to a fast start and held a 14-point advantage midway through the first half, but the home team went ice cold as UCSD reeled off 10 straight points to narrow the lead to 35-31. Coyote Curtis Williams, however, hit a shot with 3 minutes and 5 seconds left to stop the Tritons’ momentum. The Coyotes took a 10-point lead, 45-35, to close out the first half.
UCSD came out in the second half fired up, cutting the Coyotes’ lead to 47-43 on freshman guard Adam Reinking’s basket with 16:55 to go. The Coyotes, however, showed why they are conference champions and came back, going up 55-45. The Tritons were relentless and another charge brought UCSD to within four points at 58-54 on a basket by sophomore guard Matthew Sweany.
Freshman forward Parker Berling hit a deuce with 2:10 left to reduce the margin again to four at 78-74, but two free throws by Cal State San Bernardino and a UCSD turnover that led to a Coyote basket made the score 82-74. UCSD was forced to foul and the Coyotes calmly hit six free throws down the stretch to ice the game and end the Tritons’ attempt at an upset.
UCSD out-rebounded the Coyotes, 32-29, but committed 16 turnovers to Cal State San Bernardino’s 10.
The Coyotes shot 58 percent for the game (30 of 52) and were 7-for-15 from three-point range (47 percent). They needed to overcome the long-range bombing of the Tritons, who put up 29 three-pointers — 10 of which were successful — with five by sophomore Matthew Sweany, the leading scorer on the night with 27 points. Reinking finished with 17 and Berling chipped in 11.
UCSD then traveled to Pomona, Calif., to take on the Cal Poly Pomona Broncos. UCSD almost pulled off the upset, but fell just short at 71-66.
UCSD trailed 34-28 at the half, but battled all the way back to trail by only two points with less than a minute to go in the game. But Cal Poly Pomona’s Jonathan Boyd’s three-pointer with just eight seconds on the clock sealed the Bronco victory.
The Tritons ended their season with two losses and finished 9-18 overall.