LA JOLLA -- Cal State LA's men's basketball team shot well enough to beat No. 23 UC San Diego Thursday night in California Collegiate Athletic Association play in RIMAC Arena.

The Golden Eagles shot 50 percent in each half, but still came up short in a 79-69 loss to the Tritons. Cal State LA (6-7, 2-3 CCAA) held a 31-28 halftime lead, but was outscored, 51-38, in the second half. UC San Diego (10-2, 5-0 CCAA) remained unbeaten in conference play.

Roderick Evans-Taylor led five Golden Eagles in double figures with 17 points. He was 7-of-11 from the floor, including 3-of-4 from 3-point range. Jordan Wilson had 12 points and five rebounds, Travis Hammonds had 11 points and five rebounds, Geoffrey Frid had 11 points and two blocks and Devin Means had 11 points, three rebounds and two assists.

Adam Klie and Christian Oshita had 14 points each to lead five Tritons in double figures. Chris Hansen had 13 points, Scott Everman had 12 points and Aleks Lipovic had 11 points.

The game was decided on the boards and at the free-throw line. Cal State LA was outrebounded, 37-24, and UC San Diego was 19-of-21 from the free-throw line to just 5-of-8 for Cal State LA. UC San Diego shot all 21 free throws in the second half, while Cal State LA was 3-of-5 in the second period.

Cal State LA shot 50 percent for the game (28-of-56), making 13-of-26 in the first half and 15-of-30 in the second half. UC San Diego was 25-of-53 for the game. Cal State LA was 8-of-17 from 3-point range, while UC San Diego was 10-of-28. The Golden Eagles had just eight turnovers to 10 for the Tritons.

Cal State LA fell behind by as many as seven points in the first half before rallying to take a halftime lead. The Golden Eagles were down, 20-13, before baskets by Frid and Evans-Taylor and a 3-pointer by Means tied it at 20-20. A 3-pointer by Means gave the Golden Eagles their first lead at 23-22 and a layup by Jordan Nelson-Brown increased the lead to 25-22. Baskets by Hammonds and Frid gave the Golden Eagles a 31-25 lead before they settled for a 31-28 halftime lead.

A three-point play by Frid gave the Golden Eagles a 38-34 lead with 16 minutes to go, but UC San Diego scored the next 12 points to take the lead for good. A layup by Garrett Carter stopped the run, but Cal State LA trailed, 62-53, with seven minutes to go. A 3-pointer by Means and a basket by Hammonds cut the deficit to 62-58 and a 3-pointer by Wilson cut the deficit to 64-61 with 5:20 remaining. A layup by Means brought the Golden Eagles to within 69-67 with 2:48 remaining. UC San Diego held a 71-67 lead with 1:43 to go before a technical foul led to a pair of free throws and a three-point play that boosted the lead to 76-67.

Cal State LA will return to action on Saturday with a game at Cal State San Marcos beginning at 4 p.m.