The UCSD men’s basketball team will begin its regular season on Nov. 18 with a contest against Cal Poly in San Luis Obispo after three exhibition losses against Division I foes UC Santa Barbara, Gonzaga and Eastern Washington. With three Division I schools on their exhibition schedule, the Tritons are preparing for a long and arduous season that will see them on the road for the first nine games before returning home in early 2006.
In the Tritons’ first exhibition game, UC Santa Barbara jumped out to an early 10-0 lead that the Tritons could never recover from, eventually losing 57-36. UCSD trailed 35-16 at halftime, but showed resolve by playing much better basketball in the second half. After falling into a big deficit in the first half, UCSD was only outscored by two points in the second half alone, 22-20. Junior guard Robby Peters led the Tritons with 12 points in 11 minutes off the bench, while sophomore point guard Andrew Hatch had eight points, three assists and tied the team lead with four rebounds. While the Tritons struggled from the field, shooting only 34.5 percent, and were only able to get to the line four times during the game, head coach Bill Carr was able to get 16 Tritons valuable playing time against a strong opponent.
The exhibition schedule next took UCSD up north to face the seventh-ranked team in Division I college basketball, the Gonzaga Bulldogs. Playing at the McCarthey Athletic Center on Saturday night in front of what Hatch called “the most hostile environment [the team] will ever play in front of,” UCSD hung tough with the Bulldogs, leading the powerhouse team 20-19 with nine minutes remaining in the first half. However, Gonzaga did manage a 39-5 run on the Tritons, spanning almost 20 minutes at the end of the first half and the beginning of the second half. The Tritons were unable to overcome the extended run, eventually losing by a final score of 81-36. Nevertheless, the team showed poise and promise in the game. Freshman forward Henry Patterson led the team with 10 points while playing well inside against Gonzaga forward J.P. Batista. Fellow freshman A.J. Maulhardt pulled down a team-high eight rebounds in 11 minutes while junior guard and transfer student Evan Demkiw hounded preseason All-American and potential NBA lottery pick Adam Morrison, limiting the Gaucho leader to 1-of-6 shooting from the field.
In the final tuneup before the regular season, the Tritons stayed up North to take on Eastern Washington on Nov. 13 in Cheyney.
Unable to contain Eastern Washington guard Rodney Stuckey, who recorded a game-high 21 points on 50 percent (7-of-14) shooting from the field, or match the Eagle offensive output, the Tritons dropped the final exhibition game 75-44. Sophomore guard Clint Allard became the third player to lead the Tritons in scoring in as many games, notching eight points, two rebounds and two steals. Freshman guard Shane Poppen grabbed a team-high five rebounds off the bench for the Tritons, while Eastern Washington forward Jake Beitinger pulled down six rebounds for the Eagles. The Tritons would not quit when facing a huge deficit, staying within three points, 29-26, of the Eagles in the second half alone.
UCSD will now look to use the gained experience from its three exhibition games during the Nov. 18 contest with Cal Poly.
“Playing against [Division I] schools is always a challenge,” Hatch said. “[However], we played very well at times, and this proves we can play with anybody. We just need to learn how to maintain.”
Specifically, the Tritons will need to maintain their improved defensive presence, an area stressed by Carr during the preseason.
The Tritons will also work to continue the integration of nine newcomers to this year’s team in hopes of adequately replacing a group of nonreturning players that includes three of last year’s starters. Hatch and Allard, who matured as starters during their freshman campaigns, will be looked to for guidance, as will Odioh Odiyeh, one of the other seven returnees and the team’s only senior.
Also returning for his sophomore season is Carr, who guided the men’s basketball program to 11 wins last year, the team’s best record since entering Division II. Carr will hope to use Patterson, Poppen and Maulhardt along with returnees Peters and junior guard Mark Lewkowitz to improve on that mark and hopefully win the California Collegiate Athletic Association title this season.
The Cal Poly game is scheduled for a 7 p.m. start time in San Luis Obispo, Calif. Following the game at Cal Poly, UCSD will have eight more away games, concluding with a three-game stint in Hawaii. The Tritons will finally come home to RIMAC Arena on Jan. 3 to face Grand Canyon.
