Sixteen missed free throws. Sixteen turnovers on the Tritons’ home floor.
And a four-point loss to show for it.
The numbers were easy to add up on Thursday night, as UCSD shot themselves in the foot and still almost came back to beat a vulnerable opponent. Instead, the Tritons (3-8, 2-6 CCAA) were left to ponder another loss, falling 66-62 in front of a crowd of 682 at RIMAC Arena.
An effort that was solid in many areas for UCSD (defense, rebounding) was wasted thanks to breakdowns in other areas (free throw shooting, turnovers).
Most vexing to head coach Chris Carlson was the fact that just one game before, the Tritons went 29-32 from the line to improve to 3rd in the CCAA in team free throw shooting (71%). Then on Thursday, UCSD (17-33 FTs) missed on the front end of their first four one-and-one opportunities.
“We’re more of a 90 percent free throw shooting-type team,” said Carlson, “I just think it’s a concentration level and a focus, and for whatever reason we didn’t have it tonight. If we’re getting to the line 33 times we need to make the other team pay for it.”
Watch a postgame video interview with Carlson and read more after the jump:
Jordan Lawley (17 points, 10 rebounds) finally cashed in on the front end of a one-and-one with less than 7 minutes to go in the game, then missed the second…leaving the Tritons with one out of a possible 10 points in those trips to the line.
You don’t need to go to Revelle to see where this one’s headed.
Still, thanks to a tenacious second-half effort on the offensive glass and on defense, UCSD mounted three different comeback attempts at Monterey Bay.
Trailing by 12 (33-21) in the final minute of the first half, the Tritons trimmed the lead all the way down to three (33-30) in the first three minutes of the second half. Then, Otters senior guard Shaun Williams unleashed a mini-blitz.
First, Williams canned a three-pointer from the corner while being fouled, converting the four-point play. Then, after a quick steal, Williams rose up and drained another triple. It was a seven-point burst that kept the Tritons playing from behind.
“That’s part of the problem,” said Coach Carlson, “when you have to come back three different times.”
Eventually UCSD took a brief 55-53 lead with 5:30 to play, but the Otters canned their free throws down the stretch (11-12 last five minutes) while the Tritons missed on a Lawley runner that would have given them a one-point lead with 20 seconds to play.
After the game, Carlson spoke with 619 Sports about the effort:
The Tritons will try to pick up a second win in the finale of their four-game homestand on Saturday, when they host San Francisco State at 7:30pm.
Also see: Half Good Enough for UCSD Women This Time
Craig Elsten -
Chris Ello -
Chainsaw -
