LACEY, Wash. – Fifth ranked UC San Diego wasted no time showcasing their electric offense, converting 17 3-pointers, and spoiling the Saints' home opener in 2019.
Marky Adams shined in the Saints' tip-off, scoring 11 points, grabbing seven boards, while defending the CCAA Preseason Player of the Year in Chris Hansen.
Cole Alton debuted with 11 points off the bench, while
Demonte Malloy added seven points, and seven boards.
Adams and the Saints held tight with the Tritons in the opening minutes of the game, trailing only 9-6 at the 14:22 mark. After a slow start for UCSD beyond the arc, the Tritons found their stroke, and began to pull away. Six of the next seven baskets from UC San Diego came from deep, pushing their lead to 31-9 with 7:11 left in the half.
The Saints showed balanced scoring throughout the half, but were unable to make a dent in the Tritons lead before halftime, trailing 48-21.
Saint Martin's came out of the break with new energy, outscoring UCSD 13-4 in the opening four minutes. However, the Tritons made the adjustments on the defensive end, which translated to the offensive side of the court.
The 3-pointers continued to fall for UC San Diego, which in turn, widen the lead to as many as 37 in the second half. Saint Martin's started to find some footing down the stretch from key players off the bench like Alton and
Logan Rooney, but ultimately fell 88-55 in the home opener.
Saint Martin's shot 17-for-49 (34.7 percent) from the field, 4-for-16 (25 percent) from beyond the arc, and 17-for-30 (56.7 percent) at the line. The Saints collected 32 rebounds, added three assists, five steals, and three blocks on 14 turnovers.
The Saints hit the road for the first time in 2019, traveling to St. George, Utah for the Dixie State Classic, starting Friday. SMU tips-off against Westminister at 4:30 p.m. with live stats and video available on smusaints.com.
