The UCSD men’s basketball team concluded its 2005-06 season this weekend, splitting a pair of home contests in front of nearly 1,500 fans.
The Tritons started their final homestand with a win over San Francisco State, 50-38, on March 3. After the Gators shot less than 20 percent from the field in the first half of the game, UCSD seemed to catch whatever they were carrying, struggling offensively in the second half as well as the entire game against Sonoma State. As a result, the Tritons fell to the new California Collegiate Athletic Association champion Seawolves, 67-40, on March 4.
The result finishes the season for the Tritons with a 15-14 overall record, 12-8 in CCAA play. Both marks represent Division-II bests for the Tritons and also give UCSD a winning record overall and in conference, both D-II firsts.
Sonoma State came to RIMAC Arena on the verge of its first-ever CCAA title, with the Tritons hoping to play the role of spoiler. Things started out well for UCSD, with the Seawolves missing their first two field-goal attempts and freshman guard Shane Poppen giving UCSD a 2-0 lead with a layup off sophomore guard Clint Allard’s assist. Unfortunately, it would be the Tritons’ only lead of the night.
Back-to-back layups ignited a 32-6 Sonoma State run that put the Seawolves in the driver’s seat as UCSD went into the half down 43-17. UCSD was especially overmatched with freshman forward Henry Patterson limited to four minutes in the game due to injury.
“Being on the bench is a just a horrible feeling,” Patterson said. “It hurts not being able to help and contribute.”
Despite the loss of their leading scorer, the Tritons showed they still had some fight left in them, going on a 9-0 run early in the second half. However, the Seawolves quickly ended the run with their own 8-0 charge and maintained their advantage the rest of the way.
“That’s what we strive to be,” Allard said. “They out-execute every team.”
Junior forward J.T. Tipton was the only player on either team to score in double figures, leading the way with game highs of 15 points and seven rebounds. Sophomore guards Andrew Hatch and Jason Bull led UCSD with six points apiece, while Hatch also grabbed a team-high five boards. Allard had five points, four rebounds, four assists and two steals in the loss. As a team, the Tritons shot only 34.6 percent from the field, including 7.7 percent from three-point range.
On March 3 against San Francisco State, junior guard Robby Peters started things off right with a three-pointer 43 seconds into the game. From there, the Gators would never lead or even tie, as they were held scoreless for the first six minutes of the game. UCSD opened up a double-digit lead after 16 minutes of action and held San Francisco State to a miniscule 16 points in the first half. Freshman center A.J. Maulhardt stepped up in his first start of the year, providing an inside presence.
“I learned I was starting today during shoot-around,” said Maulhardt, who had five rebounds in the first half and finished the game with a game- and career-high seven boards. “I was guarding their leading rebounder [junior center Oscar Edwards], so I was just trying to box him out and the ball kind of came to me.”
While the Gators and Tritons both struggled offensively in the second half, the top-ranked UCSD defense kept San Francisco State without a field goal for the first 10 minutes of the second half.
“If you defend every night, you can win those games even when you don’t shoot the ball well,” head coach Bill Carr said. “Defensive play certainly saved [us] tonight.”
Despite its defensive effort, UCSD couldn’t build a comfortable lead. With the Tritons in the midst of a six-minute scoring drought, the Gators began to attack the weakened UCSD frontcourt, chopping the Triton lead to single digits with eight minutes, 23 seconds left to play.
“We got a little bit complacent,” senior guard Odioh Odiye said. “We weren’t really as aggressive as we should have been on offense.”
The complacency allowed San Francisco State to climb within five points after two of Edwards’ free throws. Then Odiye, the lone Triton senior, took control. Odiye converted a layup in traffic off freshman forward Darryl Lawlor’s assist. On the next possession, he drove the lane, drawing a foul and making one of his two shots from the line. After Hatch misfired on a jumper in the lane, it was Odiye who scooped up the rebound, drawing another foul and hitting another free throw to give UCSD a four-point cushion.
“Odioh is a leader in every sense of the word,” Allard said. “He leads by example; he knows everything about the game. I’ve known him for a long time and I respect how much he loves the game.”
With the Triton defense again stepping up and holding the Gators scoreless for the final two and a half minutes, Odiye grabbed another rebound and scored the game’s final points from the line.
“I wasn’t having a great game, but I knew that if I kept trying and stayed aggressive, good things would happen,” said Odiye, who finished the game with six points and two rebounds in 14 minutes of play. “I’m very happy that I came here … to have been here to start something special. I think the program is going in a great direction.”
San Francisco State’s 38-point mark was another record for the Tritons, the fewest points UCSD has allowed in more than 13 years.
“We’re making history here,” said Poppen, who led UCSD with a career-high 16 points. “It’s a good feeling.”
Lawlor added 10 points, seven rebounds, three assists, one block and two steals off the bench, while Hatch scored eight points with four rebounds and three assists.
“I couldn’t have had a better time,” said Allard, who ended the season as the team leader in assists, rebounds and minutes played. “I think we met expectations and we’re just going to try and take it a step up next year.”
