LOS ANGELES -- Cal State LA's men's basketball team started 2019 with its biggest win of the season.

The Golden Eagles took command early and never relinquished their lead in an impressive wire-to-wire 61-55 victory over UC San Diego Thursday night in University Gym. Cal State LA (9-4, 5-2 CCAA) took a 3-0 lead after a 3-pointer by Anthony Fitzpatrick and led the rest of the way to hand the Tritons (12-3, 7-1 CCAA) their first conference loss.

It was Cal State LA's first win over UC San Diego since a 71-70 victory in Los Angeles on Feb. 28, 2014, snapping an eight-game losing streak.

For the second straight game, the Golden Eagles played outstanding defense. After holding Cal State San Marcos to just 56 points on Saturday, they limited UC San Diego to a season-low 55 points. The Tritons' previous low was 62 points.

The Golden Eagles led by as many as 11 points in the first half before settling for a 30-26 halftime lead. Cal State LA held a 51-41 lead with 5:55 to go and then weathered a serious charge from UC San Diego down the stretch. Devin Means hit all six of his free-throw attempts in the final 35 seconds to secure the win. UC San Diego's Gabe Hadley hit three free throws with 1.2 seconds left to account for the final margin.

Means led the Golden Eagles with a team-high 15 points, while Jihad Woods had 11 points and five rebounds. Fitzpatrick had six points, eight rebounds and five steals.

UC San Diego's Christian Bayne led all scorers with 22 points and nine rebounds.

Shacquille Dawkins and Fard Muhammad had eight points each for the Golden Eagles.

Cal State LA shot 37 percent (20-of-54) and was 9-of-22 from 3-point range, while UC San Diego was 21-of-54 (38.9 percent) and just 7-of-29 from 3-point range. The Golden Eagles were 12-of-19 from the free-throw line, while UC San Diego was 6-of-7. UC San Diego held a 36-34 rebounding edge, but committed 16 turnovers to just 11 for the Golden Eagles.

The Golden Eagles took the lead on Fitzpatrick's 3-pointer two minutes into the game and the Tritons never recovered. A jumper by Woods gave the Golden Eagles a 25-14 lead with 6:35 to go in the first half, but the Tritons closed to within 30-26 by halftime.

The Tritons pulled to within one point at 35-34 with 16:48 to go, but the Golden Eagles went on a quick 8-0 run to restore order. Woods hit a jumper and a free throw, Ja'Sean Lewis hit a jumper and Means hit a 3-pointer to increase the lead to 43-34.

The Golden Eagles took a 51-41 lead on a layup by Dawkins with 5:55 to go and the Tritons never got closer than three points the rest of the way. A dunk by Woods pushed the lead to five points at 55-50 with 1:13 to go and Means hit two free throws with 35 seconds left to increase the lead back to 57-52. After a UC San Diego turnover, Means hit two more free throws to make it 59-52.

Cal State LA will return to action on Saturday with a home game against San Francisco State at 3 p.m.