MEN’S BASKETBALL ‘mdash; The Tritons shook off a disappointing stretch of games last weekend, ending a three-game losing streak with back-to-back road wins against Cal State Monterey Bay and San Francisco State. They defeated Cal State Monterey Bay 71-61 on Jan. 16 in a game they never trailed, and then finished up their four-game conference road trip with a 66-59 win on Jan. 17 at San Francisco State. With the two wins, head coach Chris Carlson’s squad improves to an 8-6 overall record and a 5-3 mark in the California Collegiate Athletic Association.
The Tritons and Gators battled through a contentious first half, with UCSD holding only a slight lead at the break. The Tritons shot slightly better than San Francisco State in the half, converting 9-of-20 from the field and 9-of-12 from the free-throw line. The Gators went 12-of-28, but got to the line only four times in the half, missing all four attempts.
‘We had success this weekend because we were able to make adjustments from our past couple of losses,’ senior guard Kelvin Kim said. ‘I felt like our offense was a little more fluid after a week’s practice ‘hellip; emphasizing ball movement from the inside out and mixing up our cuts to keep us from being too predictable.’
Adjustments and increased offensive efficiency were on display in the second half as the Tritons scored the first nine points of the period. Senior guard Alan Husted hit a three-pointer, senior forward Shane Poppen scored in the paint and junior guard Jordan Lawley knocked down a jumper as UCSD built up a second-half cushion.
The Tritons were again able to earn and make use of their chances at the free-throw line, knocking down all’ but three foul shots. Poppen’s layup with under a minute remaining in the game helped UCSD hold on for a seven-point win.
‘During the second half we executed well on offense and played excellent defense,’ Poppen said. ‘But, I believe that the most important reason for our comeback was that we outworked and were tougher than SFSU during the second half.’
Poppen’s 18 points set a new career high, as the four-year letter winner went 6-of-7 from the field and 6-of-8 from the line, while also grabbing a game-high nine rebounds. Lawley led the team with a game-high 23 points, adding a season-high five rebounds. Kim scored eight points with a game-high four assists, and senior center A.J. Maulhardt added seven points and six rebounds.
‘It was a great team win,’ Poppen said. ‘San Francisco State was very physical and pressured us very hard. Coach wanted us to attack them and that was my focus. I was able to get some good looks driving to the hoop, while also getting to the free-throw line.’
Poppen’s offensive improvements this season were on full display in the opening minutes against Cal State Monterey Bay, as he started the game with a dunk off of a Lawley assist and then knocked down a jumper off Husted’s pass to score the game’s first four points. Kim
added a layup to give UCSD a 6-0 lead. The Otters came back to within three after four straight points from junior guard Shaun Williams. Sophomore guard Casey Ryan’s layup kicked off the 17-6 Triton response. Trailing by as much as 15 points, Cal State Monterey Bay was able to score eight of the final 10 points in the half, cutting its deficit to nine.
The entire Triton offense played up to expectations in the second half. Lawley and senior forward Brett Stuckey came out firing in the second half, combining for the first 13 UCSD points of the second half and helping the Tritons to their largest lead of the game. The Otters went on another run, tying the game at 53 with 4:18 left to play. However, Kim assisted on a three-pointer by senior forward Darryl Lawlor and then knocked down a shot from behind the arc to give the Tritons a six-point advantage. Kim and Lawley each converted three free throws and Husted added two in the final minutes to help the Tritons win.
‘Every win is important, especially after coming off a losing streak,’ Poppen said. ‘Although we came off a three-game losing streak, we had an excellent week of practice before the games.’
Kim led the Tritons with a game-high 23 points, tying a career-high set at Cal State Stanislaus last season. Poppen scored seven with a game-high 11 rebounds. Lawley had 18 points, five rebounds and two assists, while Stuckey scored 12 points on 3-of-4 field goal shooting and 5-of-5 free-throw shooting in nine minutes off the bench.
‘We played with the sense of urgency of having our backs against the wall,’ Kim said. ‘Coming off the past couple of losses we knew we had to get these wins this weekend.’
The Tritons return home next weekend, hosting Cal State Stanislaus on Jan. 23 and Chico State on Jan. 24. Both games are slated for 7:30 p.m. tip-offs in RIMAC Arena.
Readers can contact Joe Tevelowitz at [email protected].