Tritons Post 83-77 Men's Basketball Win Over Toros
February 27, 2004

Courtesy UC San Diego Sports Information Office

Complete Box Score

UC San Diego connected on eight three-pointers to take a nine-point lead by halftime, and hung on to defeat visiting Cal State Dominguez Hills in California Collegiate Athletic Association men’s basketball action at UCSD’s RIMAC Arena on Friday night, 83-77.

The win, UCSD’s fourth in a row over CSUDH, puts the Tritons’ record at 8-16 overall, 8-11 in the CCAA. The Toros fall to 6-18 overall, 4-15 in league play.

The Tritons faced their largest deficit of the game at 20-14 with 7:14 left in the first half, but then caught fire from outside. Up until that point, UCSD was two-for-11 from three-point range, having missed its first seven. The Tritons promptly hit three consecutive triples within 50 seconds, two of them coming from junior Brandon Francis, to take a 23-20 lead, an advantage they would not surrender the rest of the way. UCSD went six-of-nine in all from outside during the remainder of the first half after the early dry spell. The Tritons took a 38-29 lead into the break, with Francis at 21 points.

UCSD’s largest lead in the second period was 12 points, and although the Toros got to within two points at 54-52 at the 10:35 mark, a three-point play by fifth-year senior point guard Cameron Jackson gave the Tritons back a five-point cushion.

In the second-to-last home game of his career, Jackson was a perfect four-of-four from the field, including two-for-two from three-point territory, and one-for-one from the free throw line. He finished with 11 points and three assists, and did not commit a turnover. Francis wound up with a game-high 28 points. Sophomore Matthew Sweany and freshman Robby Peters were also in double digits at 15 and 12 points, respectively. Redshirt freshman Parker Berling totalled eight points, three steals, and game highs of 14 rebounds and seven assists, both also career highs. Seven of those rebounds came in the first 5:42 of the game.

Senior point guard Antoine Griffin paced the Toros with 27 points, hitting five of eight three-pointers. Sophomore Jamel Gay had 16 points off the bench and senior Malik Harris scored 14. Senior Charles Logan grabbed a team-high eight rebounds.

UCSD finished 14-of-36 as a team from long range, and out-rebounded CSUDH, 42 to 37. The Tritons had 24 assists to 14 by the visitors.