9:17 p.m. The Tritons lose in heartbreaking fashion. Final score: 68-65.

9:13 p.m. Rochelin leaps into the air to meet Goldin at the rim and send his dunk attempt back where it came from. Howell picks up the ball and glides down the court but is stripped before he can get a fast-break layup off. Michigan has the ball with a one point lead and 42.8 seconds remaining.

9:11 p.m. McGhie hits a jumper from the baseline to take the lead. Michigan responds with a triple. Two minutes left, Michigan is up 66-65.

9:08 p.m. TYLER MCGHIE. WE’RE TIED AT 63.

9:03 p.m. To quote legendary football manager Jose Mourihno in an interview where he was asked about the quality of refereeing, “If I speak, I am in big trouble.”

9:01 p.m. What has seemed inevitable since early in the second half has finally happened: Tait-Jones is whistled for his fifth and final personal foul of the game. He has played his last minute in tonight’s game. The Big West player of the year has been instrumental tonight, and the rest of the Tritons need to dig deep to erase the Michigan lead in his absence. The Wolverines lead 61-56 with five minutes remaining.

8:42 p.m. Our ears are ringing from the boos as the traveling Tritons loudly voice their irritation with tonight’s officiating. On one end, Tait-Jones is shoved away from the hoop on a spinning layup attempt without a call. On the other, a driving Wolverine finds themself at the line after a phantom shooting foul. The fouls are starting to pile up for UCSD as Howell joins Tait-Jones in the four-foul club. Michigan leads 51-44 with 12 minutes left.

8:33 p.m. The Tritons keep their foot firmly on the gas pedal with back-to-back 3-pointers from McGhie and Kapic after the Wolverines’ timeout. After an ice-cold first half from deep, those shots are finally falling, and UCSD is reaping the rewards. It is now a 15-3 run, and the Triton contingent in Denver can be heard loud and clear. Michigan leads 45-42 with 16 minutes left.

8:29 p.m.The Tritons sense urgency with Tait-Jones on the bench and immediately rip off a 9-0 run. The Tritons needed everyone to step up, and they have. Four different UCSD players have contributed points to the run. Gray puts the exclamation point on the run with a fast-break layup to make the score 42-36 and force a Michigan timeout, as the Triton faithful blow the roof off of Ball Arena. Seventeen minutes to play.

8:24 p.m. The second half is now underway in Denver, Colorado. The Tritons will look to overturn a 14-point deficit. This will now be a greater challenge as Tait-Jones picks up two fouls early; one was a moving screen on one end and the other a dubious shooting foul against Goldin on the other. Tait-Jones now has four fouls and has been subbed out of the game. The New Zealander has been the Tritons’ engine all season and has led the offense today, per usual. The Tritons need major contributions from everyone in the lineup to fill the void he leaves.

8:03 p.m. At halftime, the Tritons trail 41-27. It has been a rough first half for UCSD; shots haven’t been falling, free throws haven’t either, and the Wolverines are carving the Tritons open in the paint. With one more half to go, Olen and his team might have some magic left when we return.

7:55 p.m. After a 0-6 start from downtown, McGhie finally drains a triple from the right corner. The Tritons are clearly emphasizing the longball against Michigan’s size, as they have shot 15 of them. The issue is they have only made two, including the latest triple from McGhie. UCSD will need some of these shots to start falling if it wants to stay in this game. The Wolverines lead 36-25 with one minute until the bands play.

7:43 p.m. UCSD responds with a quick offensive spurt to keep pace with the Wolverines after a Michigan run. Gray hits a difficult moving 3-pointer from the left wing, and McGhie chips in a dazzling runner on the next possession. After looking completely lost with the ball to start the half, the Tritons appear to have their legs under them on that end of the court. They trail 27-19 with six minutes until halftime.

7:31 p.m. The aggressive Triton defense we saw all season has come back to life. Kapic converts a fast-break layup after a Rochelin steal. Rochelin then intercepts the following inbound pass and converts a contested layup off the window. The Tritons are slowly climbing out of the early hole they dug themselves and now trail 15-8 with 11 minutes to play in the half.

7:25 p.m. McGhie finally breaks the seal on the basket with a nifty floater in the lane. Redshirt junior guard Justin Rochelin almost adds a second consecutive basket on a fast-break dunk, but the finish is just off. The Tritons came out of the gates shell shocked and will look to settle into a rhythm as the quarter continues. They trail 10-4 with 13 minutes remaining in the half.

7:18 p.m. The Tritons are 0 for 4 from the field with four turnovers in the opening minutes. Olen calls a timeout after the Wolverines convert the latest UCSD turnover into a fast-break layup to make the score 10-0. Michigan is applying heavy pressure at the point of attack, and the Tritons are struggling to get into their sets.

7:09 p.m. We are underway from Ball Arena. A less-than-ideal start for the Tritons as the Wolverines win the opening tip and Wolf quickly cashes in from beyond the arc. Tait-Jones steps on the baseline while posting up under the basket to give the ball right back to Michigan. The Wolverines are up 3-0 with 18 minutes to go in the first half.