LA JOLLA–Spirit Night, UCSD’s annual attempt to infuse student spirit into the men’s and women’s basketball programs, brought out a combined crowd of almost 6,000 to RIMAC Arena on Saturday night. The result was one of the more inspired performances of the year for the men’s team, battling CCAA-leading Cal State San Bernadino into the final minute.
Unfortunately for the Tritons, the outcome was a familiar one. Despite a career-high 32 points from senior forward Jordan Lawley, UCSD (4-12, 3-9 CCAA) fell 76-67 to the Coyotes (13-4, 11-2) in front of 3,860 in attendance.
“A fantastic effort on our part against one of the best teams, not only in the CCAA, but in Division II basketball,” said head coach Chris Carlson after the game, “We got better tonight. We didn’t get the result we were after obviously, but the effort was there.”
Indeed, the Tritons showed more moxie in the post than they have in many games this season. Sophomore center Christian Hatch contributed a double-double with 12 points and 12 rebounds, and Casey Ryan added twelve boards of his own.
The problem was on the perimeter, where CSUSB’s athleticism shined on defense. The Coyotes forced 18 turnovers, 9 of them on steals, while committing just seven turnovers of their own. The lost possessions for UCSD overshadowed a game in which the Tritons converted 19 of 20 free throws and out-rebounded the the bigger Coyotes 34-25.
Watch a postgame video interview with head coach Chris Carlson and check out a Spirit Night photo gallery after the jump:
“We try to keep it to 12 turnovers or less per night, and when you look at the stat sheet, (18 turnovers) stands out,” said Carlson, “I thought that really contributed to easy baskets for San Bernadino.”
With the huge crowd providing tremendous energy and enthusiasm throughout the game, UCSD came out with great intensity but spotty execution. The Tritons committed 11 of their 18 turnovers in the first half and allowed a pair of 9-0 CSUSB runs, trailing 38-31 at halftime.
Photo Gallery from Spirit Night:
The second half was the Jordan Lawley show. Finding the range on his outside shot after hitting just 1-of-5 first half field goals, Lawley scored 23 of his team’s first 25 points in the second half. Jordan finished 8-for-16 from the field, and a perfect 13-for-13 from the free-throw line.
But while the Tritons climbed within three points several times and even cut the lead to one with under two minutes to play, they could never close the gap entirely. This was due to the clutch shooting of CSUSB point guard Corey Caston, who hit a pair of three pointers late in the second half, scoring 15 of his team-high 18 points after intermission.
In the critical play of the game, Coyotes’ shooting guard Lawrence Tyson was fouled with San Bernadino leading 68-67 and less than a minute to play. Tyson made the first free throw but missed the second. However, an exhausted Lawley failed to block out Aaron Hill, and the Coyotes’ guard grabbed a huge offensive rebound. On the second chance possession, Caston drove to the hoop, scored and was fouled, converting the free throw to put CSUSB ahead by five.
“This is a tough life lesson for us,” said Carlson, “we’ve got to find a way to continue to improve and get better every day.”
Watch a 619 Sports postgame video interview with Coach Carlson:
