For the second time this month, UC San Diego men’s basketball (20-4, 10-2 Big West) found itself facing off against its fiercest rivals on national television. The first game ended in disappointment for the Tritons, who struggled to find an offensive rhythm in a 60-52 home loss. This time was different.
In a thrilling game on Saturday night, the Tritons defeated rivals UC Irvine (20-4, 10-2 Big West) 85-67. While the game was close for the first 20 minutes, UCSD dominated in the second half en route to a sweeping victory — extending its winning streak to five.
This was a crucial game for both sides. The Anteaters came into the match a game ahead of the Tritons in the Big West standings, and a loss for UCI would have meant that the two teams would be tied at the top of the Big West. A UCSD loss, meanwhile, would have all but guaranteed the Anteaters the No. 1 seed in the Big West’s postseason tournament.
The previous matchup did not go well for the Tritons. UCSD played poorly, shooting a season-low 17% from beyond the arc. Despite this, head coach Eric Olen remained steadfast in his team’s approach — doubling down on Sunday.
“We’re committed to the right guys shooting the right shots,” Olen said to The UCSD Guardian in a postgame interview. “We don’t worry about the results, even if the people who are watching or writing about it think, ‘Oh, you should stop doing that.’ We have a plan. We know what we’re doing. We believe in our guys.”
When play began, it was junior guard Chris Howell who made an immediate impact. The Anteaters defense chose not to defend him from deep, and he made them pay, draining three triples in the first four minutes to bring the Tritons up by six early in the game.
“You see guys step up in big games and make plays like that,” Olen said. “It just speaks to how good a player he is and how great a teammate he is.”
Howell’s contributions — a season-high 15 points on five made 3-pointers — were well-received by the large contingent of away fans. Nearly 300 UCSD students made the trip up to Irvine, part of the “Invade Irvine” campaign spearheaded by Marshall Olmos and KSDT Sports. Their support didn’t go unnoticed, with players showing appreciation after the game, including senior forward Aniwaniwa Tait-Jones.
“It’s one for the history books,” Tait-Jones said. “We’re stoked, the coaching staff is stoked, it’s huge for our program.”
UCSD was doing well on offense, but on defense, they struggled to cope with the Anteaters’ senior center Bent Leuchten. The 7-foot-1-inch German dominated the smaller Triton team in the paint and would go on to finish with a team-high 23 points. The big man’s size also contributed to the Tritons’ early foul trouble — making UCSD’s win that much more impressive.
A pair of high-flying dunks by redshirt junior guard Justin Rochelin gave the Triton faithful something to cheer for in the first half, but the tense opening period ended only 32-30 in favor of UCSD. Much like last month, the game was characterized by momentum swings; neither team led by more than seven in the first 20 minutes.
However, UCSD pulled away early in the second half. In one of their finest moments of the season, the Triton offense exploded for a quick 21-4 run to stretch their lead to 17 points. Bench-scoring proved momentous; with 13 minutes left in the half, Rochelin and sophomore guard Aiden Burke combined for three consecutive triples — critical contributions to UCSD’s scoring run.
Unlike their last game against Irvine, 3-point shooting was key to the Tritons’ success. Seven of the eight Tritons who saw the floor in the second half made a 3-pointer, leading to a season-best 51.6% shooting percentage from deep.
A late Irvine run brought them to within single digits, but a Tait-Jones triple on one end and a block on the other swung momentum back in the Tritons’ favor, and the Anteaters were unable to muster another run. Junior forward Nordin Kapic delivered the dagger, hitting a 3-pointer with under two minutes left to extend the Tritons’ lead to 18. Tait-Jones finished the game with 22 points, eight rebounds, and eight assists — his fifth 20-plus point outing in the past six games.
“It’s huge for us,” Tait-Jones said about the victory. “We just have to keep winning games and keep doing what we do.”
Three other Tritons — Howell, Kapic, and senior guard Hayden Gray — scored double-digit points in a convincing offensive display. Gray also added four steals to extend his advantage as the NCAA’s leader in total steals and steals per game. UCSD’s triumph on Saturday ended UCI’s division-leading 22-game home winning streak. The 18-point deficit was also the Anteaters’ worst regular season loss since 2021.
The Tritons improved to 16-0 after leading at halftime, a testament to the team’s ability to close out games under pressure. UCSD ranks among the top five in the country in steals per game, turnover margin, and turnovers forced per game; the Tritons’ active defense puts them 12th in the country in scoring defense. They are also No. 3 nationally in scoring margins, sandwiched between the likes of No. 2 Duke, No. 5 Houston, No. 1 Auburn, and No. 6 Florida. Such statistics have hoisted them into the top 50 of both the KenPom and NET rankings — significant achievements for a team in its first year of postseason eligibility.
Now tied for first atop the conference standings, UCSD has no room for error in its quest for the No. 1 seed in the Big West tournament. With eight regular season games left to play, it is imperative that they win out — not only for postseason seeding, but also for a potential March Madness bid. On Thursday, Feb. 13, the Tritons will face Cal State Bakersfield on the road before returning home to play UC Davis on Saturday, Feb. 15.
