In their final two road games of the season, the Tritons were unable to repeat their earlier success against ranked teams, losing to No. 19 Cal Poly Pomona, 68-65, on Feb. 23, and No. 16 Cal State San Bernardino, 77-59, on Feb. 24. UCSD’s record now stands at 10-15, 8-12 against California Collegiate Athletic Association competition.
After losing their last four games, including two over the weekend to No. 19 Cal Poly Pomona and No. 16 Cal State San Bernardino, it appears the 2006-07 Tritons will miss the NCAA Division-II Regionals.
UCSD entered Coussoulis Arena in San Bernardino, holding victories in their previous two matchups with the Coyotes. Earlier this season, the Tritons upset then-12th-ranked Cal State San Bernardino, 69-63; and last year’s team also pulled off a two-point upset over the Coyotes on a layup by sophomore forward Shane Poppen in the final minutes and stellar defense down the stretch. The Coyotes, ranked No. 2 in the West Region and second in the CCAA standings – and trailing No. 1 Humboldt State by just one game – looked to extend their five-game winning streak against a Triton squad that was coming in off of four straight losses.
The two teams exchanged the lead eight times in the first nine minutes. However, the Tritons’ 14-13 lead following a jumper by sophomore forward Henry Patterson would be their final lead of the game. UCSD managed to stay within striking distance, but the Coyotes slowly built a double-digit lead as they took a 12-point advantage into the break. UCSD came out in the second half firing as it scored the first basket out of intermission and racked up 19 points in the first six and a half minutes of the second period, cutting the Cal State San Bernardino lead to three at 46-43. The comeback was not meant to be, as the Coyotes went on an 11-0 run to take control and the Tritons found themselves no closer than 10 points the rest of the way.
Despite shooting over 50 percent from the field, including 10-for-20 from behind the arc, the Tritons were undone by 22 turnovers, 13 as the result of Coyote steals, and an opponent that shot 63.6 percent from the field, 77.8 percent in the second half and converted 17 of their 21 free-throw attempts.
Junior guard Clint Allard led all scorers with 25 points on 9-of-10 shooting from the field, a perfect 4-for-4 from three-point territory and a game-high six assists.
“”I actually came into the game in a small slump from the outside, but I got an open look my first shot and made it, and once I made one, I relaxed a little bit,”” Allard said.
Sophomore guard Kelvin Kim was the only other Triton in double digits with 11 points, while Patterson grabbed a game-high five rebounds to go with his six points of the evening.
The Tritons looked to be on the verge of their fourth win on the season over a ranked team against No. 19 Cal Poly Pomona in the first half of the Feb. 23 contest. After taking their first lead of the game, 12-11, on a jumper by sophomore forward Darryl Lawlor, UCSD would continue to lead for the entire half and build as much as a 10-point advantage. While the Broncos converted on 57.1 percent of their first-half field goals, the Tritons – though making less than 50 percent of their field goal attempts – were able to get to the free-throw line 12 times in the first half and converted 10 of their attempts. A 9-2 run by Cal Poly Pomona cut UCSD’s lead to three, but a Lawlor layup and three-pointer by Kim extended the advantage to eight points at the break.
“”Our defense on Pomona’s first [comeback] shot was good when we were in the lead,”” Allard said.
UCSD came out just as strong in the second half and built as much as a 12-point lead over the current third-place team in the CCAA with 16 minutes, 42 seconds left to play. Cal Poly Pomona, winners of five straight games heading into this match, responded with a 10-0 run to pull within two with 11:48 left to play. UCSD came back to build a six-point lead, but another Bronco charge left Cal Poly Pomona up two with 6:38 to play. An Allard layup tied the game, but a Cal Poly Pomona three-pointer changed the tide once again. That long-distance shot would prove to be the last field goal of the evening for the Broncos, who were then able to push the lead to five and protect their advantage by way of 10-of-14 free-throw shooting in the final five minutes. Before that, the two teams had combined for just eight foul shots in the entire half.
“”Cal Poly Pomona got offensive rebounds which lead to second shots and free throws, helping them get back into the game,”” Allard said.
Lawlor, who led the Tritons with team highs of 13 points and seven rebounds, assisted on a layup by Patterson that tied the game with over two minutes to play and then converted on a layup and an ensuing free-throw attempt, keeping UCSD within one possession with 22 seconds remaining. Unfortunately, three-point attempts by Kim, who was the only other Triton in double figures with 12 points and four assists in defeat, and senior guard Robby Peters, who scored eight points while converting on two of his five shots from behind the arc, just missed as the Broncos escape with the three-point win. In the last four games between these two teams, the average margin of victory has been just four points, including an 83-79 overtime win for UCSD last season.
“”What I think we have truly learned is that the line between winning and losing in this league is so thin, and that as a team we cannot afford to take any plays off because a six-point run often decides the game,”” Allard said of UCSD’s current five-game losing streak.
UCSD returns home for its final two games, facing Cal State Monterey Bay on March 2 and San Francisco State on March 3. Both games are scheduled for 7:30 p.m. starts in RIMAC Arena. Prior to the March 3 game, the Tritons will honor Robby Peters, their lone senior, in a pregame ceremony.
