Box Score

LOS ANGELES – Cal State L.A.'s men's basketball team started slowly Saturday night and never could get things going.

 

The Golden Eagles shot just 22.7 percent in the first half and never did recover, falling to UC San Diego, 71-60, Saturday night in a California Collegiate Athletic Association game in the Eagles Nest. Cal State L.A. (10-11, 5-9 CCAA), still without injured leading scorer Chris Fields, lost its fifth straight game.

 

Chris Mark led four Golden Eagles in double figures with 14 points and four rebounds. Dwayne Jones had 13 points, while Artis Gant and Donte Bell had 11 points each.

 

Kelvin Kim scored 15 points to lead UC San Diego (12-8, 9-5 CCAA). The Tritons also got 11 points from Alan Husted and 10 points from Jordan Lawley.

 

UC San Diego shot 55 percent for the game, making 22-of-40 attempts, including 5-of-11 from behind the 3-point arc. Cal State L.A. made only 32.7 percent for the game and connected on only four of 15 attempts from behind the 3-point arc.

 

UC San Diego enjoyed a 32-26 rebounding edge. Although the Golden Eagles forced 17 turnovers and committed only nine, the shooting disparity was too much to overcome.

 

The Tritons stated quickly and opened up a 12-3 lead just five minutes into the game. The Tritons eventually built a 14-point lead, 33-19, following a 3-pointer by Husted, before a free throw by Tyler Polo made it 33-20 at halftime. Cal State L.A. managed only five first-half baskets.

 

UC San Diego opened up its biggest lead of the game, 38-23, following a layup by A.J. Maulhardt, with 16:38 to go.

 

Cal State L.A. mounted its first charge of the second half and pulled to within five points, 43-38, after a 9-0 run that included a pair of free throws by Mark, a basket by Jones, two more free throws by Mark and a 3-pointer by Jones with 9:58 remaining. The Tritons, though, responded back-to-back layups by Darryl Lawlor and Kim to bump the lead back to nine points.

 

Cal State L.A. got as close as seven points, 51-44, after a pair of free throws by Bell with 5:47 remaining, but the Tritons again stood strong and got a layup by Lawlor and a 3-pointer by Husted to make it a 12-point lead, 58-46, with four minutes left.

 

UC San Diego stretched its lead to 15 points for a second time, 62-45, before a late Cal State L.A. surge capped by a 3-pointer by Jones made it 68-60 with just 24 seconds left. UC San Diego hit three free throws down the stretch to account for the final margin.

 

Cal State L.A. will travel to Northern California and start a two-game road trip with a game at San Francisco State on Friday night.