MEN’S BASKETBALL — After winning a close contest against the
Sonoma State Seawolves on Jan. 4 to push its program-best Division II win
streak to six games, the UCSD men’s basketball team saw that streak end with an
80-69 loss at Humboldt State, the team’s first loss since November. The loss
put the Tritons into a three-way tie for second place in the CCAA standings
with their 3-1 mark.
The Lumberjacks also hold the same 3-1 mark, and came back
from a double-digit deficit to put a stop to UCSD’s win streak. Although the
Tritons were up by as much as 16 points in the first half, Humboldt State was
able to start its comeback late in the first half and entered the break
trailing by only six points, 45-39.
“You always feel good about having a lead on the road
especially in an atmosphere like that where they get loud” head coach Chris
Carlson said.
The crowd’s role in the game only increased as Humboldt State’s
momentum carried into the second half, where the Lumberjacks took a 55-54 lead
that they would not relinquish over the final 14 minutes of the game. The 80
points scored by the Lumberjacks were the most the Tritons had allowed all
season, and 20 of those points came from the free throw line.
While the Tritons were outscored from the charity stripe,
they did shoot well in the game, notching shooting percentages of over 50
percent from the field and from behind the three-point arc as well. The smart shooting
was negated by the free throw points and by UCSD’s 13 turnovers compared to the
Lumberjacks’ three. Humboldt State took advantage of the sloppy play, scoring
16 points off of the 13 turnovers.
“We always talk about valuing each possession,” Carlson
said. “It’s always been a part of our success. We certainly didn’t do that in
the second half but it’s something we’ll learn from.”
Just a day earlier, the Tritons committed 18 turnovers but
came away with their sixth straight win, 58-54 at Sonoma State University. UCSD
was rolling in the second half, leading by 17 points at one point, but allowed
the Seawolves to creep closer late in the game. Sonoma State went on a 10-0 run
in the final four minutes, but UCSD iced the game with eight consecutive free throws
in the final 46 seconds.
“[Hitting those free throws] was good for us because we
hadn’t been shooting well from the line,” Carlson said. “It’s something we had
talked about and worked on in practice. So to see the improvement really proves
that this team can learn and progress. Those free throws down the stretch were
huge for us.”
Sophomore guard Jordan Lawley led the Tritons with 21 points
in 28 minutes and shot exceptionally well from all over the floor. Lawley shot
8-of-12 from the field, including 2-of-2 from behind the arc, and also made
three of his four free-throw attempts.
“The real key with Jordan is he’s hitting his shots and
getting his points within our offense,” Carlson said. “So from him to have a
high shooting percentage is encouraging, not only right now but for the future
as well.”
While the record win streak has officially ended, the
Tritons had a December to remember. The Tritons defeated William Jewell College
by a 70-51 margin on Dec. 16 and then took down Wayne State by a 73-59 margin
on Dec. 18. The wins were the third and fourth straight victories by a
double-digit margin and left UCSD at 5-2 on the season, with all five straight
victories coming at home. The Tritons never trailed in either contest, shooting
an incredible 55 percent in both wins and holding their opponents below 60
points. Both squads fell to 6-6 on the year following the road losses.
“Playing five straight home games has given [the team] the
confidence we need to take our winning streak on the road,” said junior guard
Andrew Hatch. “Also, I can attribute our winning streak to not being overly
practiced during the week. Last year and previous years, we played games when
we were less than 100 percent. This year, because of the practice schedules, we
are able to approach each game healthy and prepared.”
Against Wayne State, the Tritons were able to open a
double-digit lead in the first half. The Wildcats, having traveled from
Nebraska, were able to remain in striking distance throughout the half, going
into the intermission down by eight.
UCSD stepped up its play on both ends of the court coming
out of the half, limiting Wayne State to only two points over the first four
minutes of the second half and doubling the Triton advantage. The Wildcats
would get no closer than 12 points the rest of the way as UCSD shot an
astonishing 66.7 percent from the field and led by as much as 21. Carlson was
able to play 13 Tritons in the contest, with nine members of the team scoring
in the 73-point output, UCSD’s highest of the season. Junior forwards
Patterson, Darryl Lawlor and Shane Poppen led the way for the Tritons, as
Patterson and Lawlor scored 19 and 14 points respectively and Poppen grabbed a
game-high nine rebounds in 18 minutes off the bench. As a team, the Tritons won
both the battle on the boards, 31-28, and the turnover deficit, 13-17.
UCSD got off to another hot start against William Jewell, a
trend it has displayed throughout the season, scoring the first eight points of
the game and holding a double-digit lead less than two and a half minutes into
the game. The staunch Triton defense allowed only six points in the first
nine-and-a-half minutes of the game as UCSD led by as much as 17 in the opening
half, converting on 56.5 percent of their field goal attempts. The Cardinals,
on the road from Missouri, were unable to combat UCSD on either end, getting no
closer than nine points and shooting only 30.8 percent from the field in the
second half. Meanwhile, the Tritons again converted over half their field goal
attempts in the half and out rebounded the Cardinals 34-25 in the game, cruising
to the 19-point win.
Patterson, junior guard Kelvin Kim and senior guard Clint
Allard led the scoring with 13, 12 and 11 points, respectively. Allard equaled
the entire output of William Jewell with his game-high eight assists, while
Poppen was UCSD’s leader on the boards with 11 rebounds in 19 minutes as a
reserve.
