SAN DIEGO, Calif. – Playing in their third game in five days on the road, the Saints ran into a buzz saw in the name of UC San Diego. The nationally ranked Tritons' offense hit on all cylinders, with 18 3-pointers and shot nearly 70 percent as a team to beat Saint Martin's 96-69.
 
Coming off a dramatic 19-point comeback win over Point Loma, the Saints (2-1) looked to end their run of California with a sweep, but #24 UC San Diego (3-0) had other ideas. The Tritons limited the Saints to only 25 field goals in the game, and behind a 35-point performance from Christian Oshita, finished off SMU with a strong end to the first half, which carried over to the second half.

"We ran out of gas tonight," said head coach Alex Pribble. "Credit UCSD, they put on a great shooting performance. Every time we had a breakdown, they made us pay. We have been inconsistent with our energy and attention to detail. We continue to dig ourselves into holes, and although we made a good push coming out of halftime, we just didn't have enough energy to battle back."
 
Both sides looked evenly matched in the opening minutes of the game, with both sides knocking down shots. Rhett Baerlocher scored on two baskets, with Jordan Kitchen, and BJ Standley managing to connect from deep to tie the game at 10-10 with 15:40 left in the half. UC San Diego put on the first run of the game, opening up a 20-12 lead before three free throws by Kitchen pulled SMU within five.
 
Halfway through the first half, the Saints responded with a dunk from Kitchen, and 3-pointer by EJ Boyce; however, the offense of the Tritons started to get into a flow. Despite UC San Diego connecting on just about every possession, the Saints were able to stay in step for most of the first half. With the score at 38-34 in favor of UCSD after two free throws by Tavian Henderson, the Tritons began to pull away. They ended the half on a 12-2 run and carried the 50-36 lead into the break.
 
After UC San Diego shot over 70 percent from the field, and 69 percent from beyond the arc in the first, the shots continued to fall in the second half. The Saints' defense had no answers and UC San Diego began to pull away quickly. The Saints were able to get as close as five points, 58-53 at the 13:21 mark; however, the Tritons continued their assault from deep.
 
Over the course of the final 13 minutes, UC San Diego managed to extend their lead to as many as 27 points. For the night, UC San Diego was led by guard Oshita and his 35 points, followed by Tyrell Roberts and his 21-point performance. The Tritons connected on 18 3-pointers and posted a shooting line of 67.3/69.2/80.0 to cruise to the 96-69 victory.
 
Standley and Kitchen led the Saints in scoring with 12 points each, followed by Baerlocher at 11, and Boyce and Henderson with nine and eight respectively. Luke Chavez only saw action in 16 minutes, posting five points, three assists and one rebound. Chandler Redix led the way on the glass with six rebounds, and was tied with Chavez with a team-leading three assists.

"Tavian Henderson and Rhett Baerlocher have played well all weekend," Pribble said. "We also got nice sparks off the bench from players like Caden Smith. I think we've shown we have some nice depth to work with as we build toward the GNAC. All in all, I'm proud of the way our guys competed during the 3-game stretch. We had some great moments, and lots of film to learn from. It's nice to come home with a couple of wins."
 
As a team, Saint Martin's shot 25-of-60 (41.7 percent) from the field, 10-of-28 (35.7 percent) beyond the arc, and 9-for-13 (69.2 percent) at the free throw line. The Saints had 15 assists on 11 turnovers, including 28 rebounds, seven steals and no blocks.
 
SMU returns home from California for their home opener against Northwest Christian, next week, Monday, November 19 at 6:00 p.m. Live stats and video of the game will be available on smusaints.com, along with a radio broadcast by the Bryant and Clark Sports Connection.