UC San Diego was defeated by CSUN, 80-70, in the Big West quarterfinal on Mar. 12 at Lee’s Family Forum in Henderson, Nevada. Junior Tom Beattie led the Tritons with a career-high 22 points, but it was not enough to overcome the Matadors, who were paced by Larry Hughes II’s game-high 34 points.
The loss means UC San Diego ends its run in the conference tournament and will now wait to learn its National Invitation Tournament (NIT) fate. The Tritons finished the season with a record of 23-11, marking their second-most wins since joining Division I.
Beattie was supported by freshman Hudson Mayes, who scored 17 points—14 of which came after halftime—and added five rebounds and four assists. Junior Leo Beath contributed 11 points and six rebounds. Despite leading at halftime, 36-32, and building a nine-point lead early in the second half, UC San Diego could not hold off CSUN’s late surge. The Matadors made nine consecutive shots down the stretch and shot over 65 percent from the field after halftime.
The defeat marked UC San Diego’s first-ever loss at Lee’s Family Forum after previously going undefeated in four games at that venue. The team wore blue uniforms as the designated visiting team and made nine three-pointers out of thirty-three attempts.
UC San Diego Athletics has recently transitioned from NCAA Division II to Division I as part of The Big West Conference. Over two decades in Divisions II and III, Triton teams earned numerous national championships and academic honors for their scholar-athletes.
Looking ahead, UC San Diego will await word on whether it receives an NIT bid following its strong season.
