The UCSD men’s basketball team returned home this week after
another tough non-conference season opener. Despite holding an early lead and
attempting to make a late comeback, UCSD fell 72-62 to regional opponent and
former California Collegiate Athletic Association foe
on Nov. 24. The Tritons now stand at 0-2 on the season as they prepare for
their home and conference opener this weekend.
UCSD scored first against the Antelopes as it did the
previous weekend at San Diego State, extending the 7-2 lead with two early
three-pointers by sophomore guard Jordan Lawley. Grand Canyon responded with a
7-1 run, but the Tritons bench would help tie the game again with a jumper by
sophomore forward Andrew Browning and back-to-back layups from junior center
A.J. Maulhardt. UCSD would re-take the lead 16-14 on a Lawley jumper before the
Antelopes tied it again. Following a timeout, junior guard Shane Poppen’s
jumper gave the Tritons another two-point lead with 10:58 left in the first
half. The Antelopes’ Milee Karee responded with a four-point play, drawing a
foul on a successful three-pointer and converting the free-throw attempt, and
then knocked down another three to give Grand Canyon a 23-18 advantage. The
Antelopes would extend their lead to 12 points and head into intermission up
37-25, as UCSD managed only seven points — with five from junior forward Henry Patterson
— during the first half’s final 10 minutes.
Junior guard Andrew Hatch said the Tritons’ inability to
penetrate the key contributed to the team’s first-half struggles.
“Grand Canyon stayed in a zone the entire game and we had
trouble getting good looks inside 20 feet,” he said. “We missed a lot of open
shots, but for our team to be successful we have to work inside out.”
Patterson again put UCSD on the board first during the
second half with two free throws. The Antelopes, though unable to put UCSD
away, were able to retain their double-digit lead for most of the second half.
The Tritons faced their biggest deficit in the game with 6:22 left to play as
an 11-2 Grand Canyon run put the score at 63-46. However, the Tritons, led by
Hatch, fought their way back within striking distance.
Hatch, who missed all of last season due to an injury, hit
two three-pointers as part of an 11-0 UCSD run that pulled the Tritons within
six points with 1:13 left to play. Despite another Hatch three-pointer with 31
seconds left, Grand Canyon converted nine of 11 free-throw attempts down the
stretch to hold on for the win.
Hatch said his flurry of field goals beyond the arc came
from good opportunities created by other Tritons.
“Getting our team back in the game … came from my teammates
— driving and hitting the gaps, then kicking the ball out and giving me the
opportunity to knock down open three-point shots,” he said.
Hatch added that he hopes to be a veteran leader and perform
well in the clutch.
“I just want to contribute as much as I can this year,” he
said. “I want to look back on my years here as a time when UCSD men’s
basketball became a force in the CCAA.”
Hatch led UCSD in scoring with 12 points on four of five
three-point attempts, while also dishing out four assists in 15 minutes off the
bench. Lawley and senior guard Clint Allard also scored double-digits for the
Tritons with 11 and 10 points, respectively. Allard posted eight assists and
five rebounds, both tying game-highs. The assist total fell just short of his
career-best nine assists recorded against Grand Canyon in January 2006.
As a team, UCSD shot 41.5 percent from the field, including
54.2 percent in the second half when they held Grand Canyon to below 40 percent
field-goal shooting. The Antelopes were able to build their lead with a
blistering 66.7 percent first-half field-goal percentage and by converting 10
of their 19 three-point attempts. Grand Canyon also out-rebounded UCSD, 34-23,
and recorded three blocks in the game.
UCSD begins a five-game homestand this weekend, hosting Cal
State University Stanislaus in its home-opener on Nov. 30 and
on Dec. 1. Both games are scheduled for 7:30 p.m. tip-offs in RIMAC Arena.
