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UC San Diego trailed at halftime against a struggling Cal Poly team on Thursday night before flipping a switch and blasting the visitors away on the way to a 95-68 win at LionTree Arena.
As a result, first place will be on the line on Saturday, when the Tritons (14-2, 4-0 Big West) host UC Irvine (14-2, 4-0 Big West) at LionTree Arena.
The game will air on ESPNU, providing coach Eric Olen’s team rare national television exposure against the team that appears to be the biggest potential roadblock to the program’s first-ever appearance in the NCAA Tournament.
UC Irvine is ranked fourth and the Tritons seventh in the latest Mid-Major Top 25 Coaches Poll. The Tritons are the hotter club; their 12-game winning streak is the longest in the nation.
The teams will meet for a second time on Feb. 8 at Irvine and possibly again in the conference tournament, when a bid to the NCAA Tournament could be on the line.
“UC Irvine has a fantastic team,” Olen said. “They have great players. They are exceedingly well-coached. They present tons of challenges. They have one of the better defenses in the country. Have a ton of size. It’s certainly a difficult matchup but, at the same time, there are things we do that potentially pose problems for them. In games like that, it’s about, ‘Are we able to amplify advantages in the matchup and mitigate theirs?’ …We’re excited about the challenge.”
The Tritons continue to be driven by excellent defense and an offense that values each possession. They lead the conference in turnovers forced (17.4 per game) and fewest committed (9.2 per game), while guard Hayden Gray (Sante Fe Christian) continues to lead the nation averaging 3.7 steals per game.
UC Irvine ranks sixth in the nation with 29.7 defensive rebounds per game and features balanced scoring attack, Center Bent Leuchten leads the way with an average of 15.1 points and 8.4 rebounds per game; forward Devin Tillis (13.7 ppg) and guard Justin Hohn (12 ppg, 3.4 rpg and 3.6 assists per game) are other players to watch.
While the Tritons were coming back from a 42-38 halftime deficit against a six-win Cal Poly team Thursday night, the Anteaters were busy pulling out a 77-67 home win over third-place Cal State Northridge (11-5, 3-2 BW).
“At halftime we talked about our defense, giving up looks we don’t like to give up and we made adjustments,” said UCSD wing AnawaniaTait-Jones, who finished with a game-high 25 points in the win over Cal Poly. “Our offense comes from our defense and we know that when we play defense, the sky’s the limit for us.”
Next up: 7 p.m. Saturday vs. UC Irvine (14-2, 4-0 Big West), LionTree Arena. TV: ESPNU
Toreros back home after trip to Gonzaga
USD (4-13, 1-3 WCC) will take on Saint Mary’s on Saturday night hoping to snap a three-game losing streak.
The Torereos played tough in Wednesday’s 93-80 loss to Gonzaga in Spokane, Wash. USD matched a season-high for points in a game and made a season-high 11 3-pointers. An illness has been working its way through the team. Center Steven Jamerson II missed the Gonzaga game, while freshman forward Kean Webb and senior forward Colby Brooks made their first career starts.
Next up: 7 p.m., Saturday vs. Saint Mary’s (13-3, 4-0 WCC), Jenny Craig Pavilion. TV/Streaming: ESPN+.
PLNU continues Hawaii swing
Paced by forward Luke Haupt’s 14 points and nine rebounds, Point Loma Nazarene (13-4, 6-1 PacWest) won 67-57 at Hawaii-Hilo Thursday night.
The Sea Lions hold sole possession of first place and a one-game lead over second-place Biola in the conference race and are tied with Cal State San Bernardino for second place in the Division 2 West Region poll.
Next up: 8:30 p.m. Saturday at Hawaii Pacific (8-6, 3-2 PacWest). Streaming: pacwestnetwork.tv.
Clppers host Stars
The Salt Lake City Stars dropped the G League’s San Diego Clippers 99-86 on Thursday night in Oceanside.
San Diego’s Kobe Brown scored a team-high 21 points, adding six rebounds and two steals. Cam Christie added 16 points and five rebounds.
The Clippers (3-3) and Stars (1-5) played again Friday night at Frontwave Arena.
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