Following a tough loss at Division-I neighbor San Diego State University and a disappointing double-overtime defeat at Grand Canyon University to start its regular season 0-2, the UCSD men’s basketball team responded impressively at Seattle Pacific University’s Falcon Las Vegas Thanksgiving Tournament, upsetting two top-five teams over the Thanksgiving holiday weekend.
Junior forward Brett Stuckey played efficiently against the University of Montevallo on Nov. 25, going 2-2 from the field and pulling down a rebound in 12 minutes of play.
The Tritons handled No. 4 Seattle Pacific University with a 62-52 victory in their first game on Nov. 24, and then carried their momentum into the following day by securing a 61-60 win over No. 2 University of Montevallo. The victories improved the Tritons’ record to 2-2 and accounted for the first back-to-back wins over ranked opponents since the Tritons made the move to Division II.
Junior guard Clint Allard got the Tritons going early against the University of Montevallo. After the Falcons pulled out an early 5-2 lead, Allard responded with seven straight points to give UCSD an advantage it would maintain for the rest of the half. Allard personally outscored the Falcons through the first 16 minutes of the game, and a three-pointer at the 4 minute, 15 second mark gave UCSD a 33-19 advantage and Allard 20 first-half points.
The University of Montevallo would close the gap with a 9-2 run at the end of the first half and then take the lead with an 11-5 spurt after the break, leaving the score at 40-39 in favor of the Falcons with less than 15 minutes to play.
The Tritons put their winless preseason start in the past, upsetting Seattle Pacific University and the University of Montevallo over the Thanksgiving break.
There would be four ties and four lead changes over the next six minutes as both teams experienced a series of turnovers and steals. Finally, the Falcons were able to build their largest lead of the game – a 57-50 advantage with six and a half minutes remaining.
Despite missing two of last year’s starters, 2006 First Team All-California Collegiate Athletic Association member sophomore forward Henry Patterson and 2005 CCAA Freshman of the Year guard Andrew Hatch, to injury, the Tritons were able to overcome the deficit and their highly ranked opponent. Sophomore guard Shane Poppen keyed the comeback with two free throws, two steals and two big rebounds, while the team’s only senior, guard Robby Peters, hit another clutch three-pointer to give UCSD a 59-58 advantage with under a minute to play.
After the Falcons retook the lead with 38 seconds left on a jumper by Greg Brown, UCSD called a timeout. After the huddle, the Tritons stayed true to their patient offense and worked the ball around for one last shot. Despite having cooled off from the first half and scoring only four points in the second half, Allard would be given a final opportunity, and he nailed a jumper with five seconds remaining to give UCSD the one-point win.
“”Robby [Peters] drove and drew two defends, then passed it to me and I dribbled to the open area to my left and was able to get it off clean before the shot clock expired,”” Allard said. “”It felt good to be able to deliver the win that the whole team worked for and truly deserved.””
Allard led the team with 26 points in a performance that helped him earn CCAA Player of the Week honors. Sophomore transfer guard Kelvin Kim was the only other Triton in double figures with 12 points and a team-high seven assists, while Poppen added five points and a team-best six rebounds. Nine Tritons played at least 10 minutes in the game.
“”The team has adjusted well,”” said sophomore forward Darryl Lawlor, who tied Poppen with six rebounds and dished out four assists. “”We’ve really come together and gelled very quickly. Everyone has had to step up their game and so far everyone has.””
It was Lawlor who stepped up his game against Seattle Pacific University in the first match of the tournament. A layup with 2:30 left in the first half gave UCSD a 28-20 advantage, its largest of the half.
Seattle Pacific University, whose mascot is also the Falcons, would cut the deficit to six at the break and get as close as two points in the second half. But after leading for two minutes early in the first half, the Falcons would never again find themselves on top, as the Tritons held on for the 10-point upset.
Lawlor led the team with 15 points on five-of-six shooting from the field, including two-of-three from three-point range, grabbing six rebounds in the process.
“”Basically in our offense, I just let the game come to me,”” Lawlor said about his performance, which was only one point shy of his career high. “”Kelvin [Kim] and Clint [Allard] gave me a lot of opportunities to put the ball in the basket and I did what I had to [to] convert those opportunities into points.””
Allard had 13 points, four assists and six rebounds, while Kim notched two assists, two rebounds, four points and three steals. Sophomore center A.J. Maulhardt pulled down a team-high seven rebounds.
The team now prepares for its first home game and league opener on the night of Dec. 1 against Chico State, and Allard is looking forward to the homecoming.
“”We have been very comfortable and successful at home the past few years and the fans have been a big part of that,”” Allard said. “”I expect the fans to come out and enjoy themselves because we are going to do our best to put on a great performance for them.””
The Chico State game will be followed Dec. 2 by another conference game against Cal State Stanislaus. Both contests are scheduled for 7:30 p.m. starts in RIMAC Arena.
