UCSD Basketball: Men in Slump but Women Now 10-0

Senior center Christian Hatch scored 20 points and grabbed 10 rebounds, but it wasn’t enough as the men’s basketball team lost a 71-63 decision to host Cal State San Bernardino on Monday.

Nate Roth finished with 20 points and eight assists and Tre Brewer scored 15 to lead the Coyotes, who outscored the Tritons 18-3 to open the second half. Cal State San Bernardino, which also defeated UCSD 66-63 in double overtime on Nov. 22 at RIMAC Arena, improves to 5-2 overall and 4-0 in California Collegiate Athletic Association play with the win.

UCSD, which has dropped four of its last five games, falls to 4-5 overall and 0-4 in the CCAA.

Roth finished 5-of-8 from the field and 8-of-10 at the free throw line, scoring all 20 of his points in the decisive second half. He also grabbed five rebounds and recorded three steals.

Brewer had a good shooting night as well, going 7-of-13 from the floor. Roth and Brewer combined to score nearly half of CSUSB’s 71 points in the game.

Hatch registered his third double-double of the season, converting nine of his 13 attempts from the field in a game-high 33 minutes. Tyler McGrath was the only other play to reach double figures for the Tritons, finishing with 17 points on 4-of-9 shooting. The junior guard hit 3-of-5 from the three-point line and sank all six of his free throws.

Mike Meza hit three of his six shots and finished with nine points off the bench.

The Coyotes shot 46 percent (24-52) from the field, while the Tritons shot 43 percent (22-51). CSUSB held a slim 31-28 rebounding advantage, although UCSD outscored San Bernardino 24-18 in the paint.

The Tritons were on top for most of the opening half, leading by as many as six points on two occasions. Hatch scored inside to give UCSD a 29-23 advantage with 2:45 remaining in the first half, but Brewer hit a three and Theron Laudermill sank two free throws to bring the Coyotes to within one with 38 seconds left.

McGrath answered with two free throws of his own to give UCSD a 31-28 lead at the break. The Tritons shot 46 percent in the first half, while holding the Coyotes to just under 42 percent from the field.

Hatch converted a three-point play to give the Tritons a 34-32 edge with 17:22 remaining in the second period, but the Coyotes would score 14 unanswered points over the next six minutes to take a 46-34 cushion. Roth scored nine of CSUSB’s 14 points during the run.

Trailing 53-40 with a little more than eight minutes remaining, the Tritons scored eight straight to cut the deficit to just five, but that’s as close as they would get as the Coyotes followed with a 10-0 spurt to take their biggest lead at 63-48 with 3:09 left to play.

UCSD will take a break for the holidays, returning to the court on Thursday, Dec. 29, against San Francisco State. Tip-off is 7:30 p.m. at RIMAC Arena.

WOMEN'S BASKETBALL

Chelsea Carlisle and Emily Osga combined to score 36 points and Lauren Freidenberg recorded her second consecutive double-double as the fourth-ranked UC San Diego women’s basketball remained unbeaten Monday with a 78-68 victory at Cal State San Bernardino.

Playing for the first time in eight days, UCSD shook off a sluggish first half to sweep the season series with CSUSB and extend its current winning streak to 10 games. The Tritons outscored the Coyotes 22-7 over the first eight and a half minutes of the second and held on for their second win over San Bernardino in as many games.

UCSD improves to 10-0 overall and 4-0 in CCAA play with the win, while the Coyotes drop to 2-6 overall and 1-4 in conference with the loss.

Carlisle and Osga scored 18 points apiece as all five starters finished in double figures for the Tritons. Carlisle was just 7-of-15 from the field, but dropped 4-of-9 from the three-point line, while Osga was 6-for-16 and connected on 4-of-7 from behind the arc. Carlisle added five boards and a game-high seven assists and Osga tallied five boards, three assists and two blocks.

Freidenberg finished with 13 points and 13 rebounds after tallying 19 and 12 in the Tritons’ win over the Coyotes last week, while Erin Dautremont added 13 points, six rebounds, two assists and two steals. Daisy Feder finished with 10 points and five assists.

UCSD’s starting five accounted for 72 of the team’s 78 points in the game.

Eliza Day and Angela Streets carried most of the scoring load for Cal State San Bernardino as the backcourt duo combined for 47 points on 17-of-36 shooting. Dy put in 24 points to lead all scorers in the game, while Streets finished with 23.

UCSD shot 43.8% percent (28-64) from the field, while CSUSB finished at a 43.5 percent (27-62) clip. The Tritons racked up 24 assists on their 28 field goals, three shy of their season high, and held a 42-34 rebounding advantage.  

After rolling to a 70-45 win over CSUSB on Dec. 12 at RIMAC Arena, UCSD was in control for most of the game on Monday as well, but this victory didn’t come nearly as easy. The Tritons held a 29-19 lead with eight minutes left in the opening half before a 13-1 Coyote run gave the home team a 32-20 advantage three minutes later.

San Bernardino led 39-36 at the break and extended it cushion to five following a bucket by Jaslyn Cosey on the first possession of the second half.  

It was all UCSD after that though, as Osga and Carlisle teamed to hit four threes over the next 4:34 to give the Tritons a 54-45 advantage with 15 minutes left to play. Freidenberg scored to put UCSD on top by 12 at 63-51 with just under 10 minutes left and another triple by Carlisle gave the Tritons’ their biggest advantage at 68-55 two and a half minutes later.

The Coyotes would cut the deficit to just six at 70-64 with 4:13 remaining, but Freidenberg answered with a pair of free throws and Osga followed with a jumper to put UCSD back on top by 10 and end the threat with 2:39 left on the clock.

The Tritons return to the court Dec. 29-30 when San Francisco State and Cal Poly Pomona pay a visit to RIMAC Arena.

SWIMMING

The UC San Diego swimming and diving team split a long course meet against Division I Cal Poly Sunday as the Triton men were victorious over the Mustangs at Canyonview Pool.

UCSD took a 214-80 win on the men's side, while the Cal Poly women were victorious by a score of 185-113. Alex Henley won three events for the Triton women, while the men totaled 15 first place performances.

Three Tritons had multiple wins in men's competition. Sophomore Alex Merrill swam to victories in the 100m free (54.17) and 200m free (1:55.89) and senior Matt Herman won the 400m free (4:10.16) and the 1500m free (16:30.11). Junior Tyler Runsten won both diving events, scoring 289.90 points in the 1-meter and 303 in the 3-meter.

UCSD dominated in the men's backstroke, occupying the top four spots in the 100m and 200m events, won by sophomore Martin Vanek (1:03.67) and freshman Tyler Henry (2:14.64), respectively.

The Tritons were also strong in the breaststroke, owning all three podium spots in the 100m and 200m. Senior Griffin Bracke won the 100 in 1:06.93 and sophomore Nick Korth swam a 2:30.97 to win the 200. Sophomore Ahiram Rodriguez led a 1-2-3 Triton finish in the 200m butterfly with a time of 2:12.81.

Also picking up individual wins for the UCSD men were sophomore Reid McCallum in the 50m free (24.44) and junior Adam Yen in the 100m fly (59.80), the only swimmer under a minute.

UCSD also won two men's relays, the 400m medley (4:02.85) and the 400m free (3:39.39).

Henley had a huge day for the Tritons. The senior topped the field in the 100m back (1:06.66), the 200m back (2:23.69) and the 400m individual medley (5:07.49).

Freshman Jaclyn Amog impressed in the 50m free, winning the race with a time of 27.93. The UCSD women also won the 400m medley relay as Amog and Henley teamed with freshman Eva Chen and sophomore Anji Shakya for a top time of 4:31.87.

"I am very happy with how the team performed today," said UCSD co-head coach Matt Macedo. "Coming off an intense week of training, we could have given in to fatigue, but we really stepped up and raced tough."

It was the first time the Tritons and Mustangs had met since 2007.

UC San Diego is off from competition for the rest of 2011 and picks back up on Jan. 6 at San Diego State.

SOFTBALL

The coaching staff of the national champion UC San Diego softball team has signed seven standouts who will join the Triton family in the fall of 2012.

The class consists of three infielders, two outfielders, a left-handed pitcher and a right-handed pitcher. All seven are currently high school seniors.

"We are incredibly excited about our incoming 2012 recruiting class. A great deal of time went in to hand-picking these specific seven young women," said head coach Patti Gerckens. "Each one of them is athletic, versatile, family oriented and an extremely hard worker. We look forward to them joining our family next year."

Callie Grant is an outfielder currently playing for coach Heidi Bird at Simi Valley High School.

• All-Marmonte League First Team in 2010 and 2011, Second Team in 2009
• All-Ventura County Second Team in 2011
• Plays for So Cal Pumas Gold travel team
• Finished seventh at Premier Nationals
• First place Triple Crown Nationals in 2008
• Member of the Junior Honor Society
• Won Scholar Athlete Award in 2010 and 2011
• Grant on why she chose UCSD: "First and foremost, (UCSD) is a great academic school, but also I love the fact that I am going into a winning program where softball and school is important. I love the feel of the team and I am excited to be part of the Triton family."
• Coach Gerckens on Grant: "Callie is an all-around athlete. Her speed is undeniable. What we love the most about her though is that although she is naturally gifted, she remains one of the hardest working young athletes on both her travel and high school team. She is never satisfied and we are anxious to see what she adds in the outfield next year."

Katie Saunders is a catcher and utility player at Mira Costa High School in Manhattan Beach. She is currently coached by Dick Amberik.

• Bay League Most Valuable Player in 2010 and 2011; All-Bay League First Team in 2009
• All-CIF Southern Section First Team in 2011; All-CIF SS Second Team in 2010
• 2011 All-California First Team Underclassman
• Member of the California Scholastic Federation, National Honors Society and Latino Scholars Union Board
• Member of her respective schools' honor roll since 2005
• Plays for Minors Gold-Macias travel team, where she placed in the top-20 at ASA Nationals
• Played soccer for South Bay Force club team from 2006-2010
• Saunders on why she chose UCSD: "I wanted to attend a school that would allow me the opportunity to get an amazing education and that would give me the tools I need to be successful after college. I also was looking for a school that played at a highly competitve level of softball; I hate to lose. UCSD is the perfect place for me, it is a university that fits this description perfectly."
• Coach Gerckens on Saunders: "Katie is a true utility player. She is great behind the plate, fantastic in the outfield and has the ability to play the infield. She is incredibly confident and can hit for power or for consistent contact. We anticipate great things from her in the future."

Hannah Duarte is a right-handed pitcher at Woodrow Wilson High School and plays travel ball for USA Athletics Gold.

• Led WHS to CIF quarterfinals in 2011
• All-League First Team in 2010
• While playing with USA Athletics 18 Gold, earned Top 8 at Premier Nationals and fifth place at Boulder Independence Day in 2010. In 2011, the team earned fifth place at Adidas Futures and ninth place at ASA Nationals 18U Gold
• Member of the honor roll and recognized as a Distinguished Scholar
• Duarte on why she chose UCSD: "I chose UCSD because it had the family environment I was looking for. I also knew I would succeed both athletically and academically in my four years as a Triton because of the strong academic reputation the university holds, the outstanding coaching staff and softball program."
• Coach Gerckens on Duarte: "Hannah has all of the ability and potential to be a power pitcher and to carry a lot of innings for the UCSD staff. While recruiting her, we have watched her grow mentally and physically in the circle. We have no doubt that she will continue this growth and make an impact in our conference."

Amani Proctor currently plays in the outfield for coach Dean Gregory at Buchanan High School in Clovis, CA.

• Two-time (2010, 2011) Tri-River Athletic Conference Co-Player of the Year and All-TRAC First Team selection
• Fresno Bee All-Valley First Team in 2010 and 2011
• 2011 Louisville Slugger NFCA All-West Region Second Team
• 2011 All-California First Team Underclassman
• 66 hits in 2011 stand as a single-season BHS record
• Plays travel ball for Fresno Force Gold
• Named to honor roll and California Scholastic Federation 2009-11
• Proctor on what she is looking forward to at UCSD: "The things I look forward to the most at UCSD are making new friends, having new experiences, learning new things, challenging myself both on and off the softball field, and most of all, just having fun beginning a new chapter of my life."
• Coach Gerckens on Proctor: "Amani is a natural. We cannot wait to get her in the outfield next year and to truly push her. With the mixture of her athleticism and the effort that she will put into honing her craft at UC next year, we know that she could make a splash in the CCAA very quickly."

McKenna Clewett is a shortstop and second baseman at Orange Glen High School in Escondido. Laura Quiroz is head coach of the Patriots.

• All-Valley League First Team in 2010; earned team MVP, Offensive and Defensive Player of the Year awards
• Also a three-year letterwinner for OGHS soccer team
• Made mulitiple appearances at ASA Nationals and Western Nationals while competing for the San Diego Legacy travel team
• Ranks 26th out of her class of 493 students with a 3.84 GPA
• Clewett on why she chose UCSD: "I know that at UCSD I'll receive the best education possible. It's close to home, offers my intended major and has a wonderful atmosphere around the campus. I most look forward to living on campus and meeting new people while playing the sport I love- softball."
• Coach Gerckens on Clewett: "We were looking for a solid, smooth and very quick middle infielder. This is McKenna Clewett. She can cover a tremendous amount of ground at shortstop and second base and has the ability to have a very consistent stick. We know that she has the potential to make a big contribution quickly."

Lexi Edwards is a left-handed pitcher playing for Paul Tinoco at Oxnard High School in Ventura County.

• All-Pacific View League First Team 2009-11
• Pacific View League Pitcher of the Year and All-Thousand Oaks Tournament Team in 2010
• Led Yellow Jackets to Thousand Oaks Tournament title in 2010
• Four-year member of the OHS honor roll and Algebra Academy "Top Scholar" in 2008
• Edwards on what she looks forward to the most: "I am most excited for softball season. From all the early morning practices to the games and, of course, hanging out with the team."
• Coach Gerckens on Edwards: "As a lefty, Lexi adds a key component to our talented pitching staff. She has impressive movement, keeps the ball low and is confident on the mound and in the batters box. We know that she will add something very different to the staff that will help round it out."

Emma Schneider is a first baseman and designated player for coach Dan Worley at Carlsbad High School.

• Won Avocado West League championship and was named All-League Second Team in 2011
• Placed seventh at the 18A Nationals in Normal, Ill. while playing for San Diego Legacy travel team in 2011
• Earned Scholar-Athlete Award, 2009-11
• Schneider on why she chose UCSD: "I love the campus, the coaches and players, and the family atmosphere of the team. I want to get a great education and continue playing the sport I love at the collegiate level. UCSD is the perfect fit for me to do what I love and acheive my many goals."
• Coach Gerckens on Schneider: "Emma is a hitter. Plain and simple. She can play first base and behind the plate but what initially caught our eye was her ability to swing the bat. She holds herself high, has the self-awareness to make adjustments during at bats and, more times than not, gets her job done."

—Compiled from press releases issued by the UCSD sports information office