UCSD Beats Cal State San Bernardino For 8th Victory in a Row

UC San Diego’s men’s basketball team tied an 18-year-old school record by winning its eighth game in a row Friday at UCSD. The Tritons came from behind to defeat Cal State San Bernardino, 81-69, outscoring the Coyotes, 49-35, in the second half.

The last time UCSD had eight consecutive victories was during the 1972-73 season. The Tritons are 16-3 and ranked 11th in the nation in Division III and second in the Western Region behind Wartburg of Iowa.

Senior guard Tim Rapp had a game-high 21 points and seven assists for UCSD. Chris Moore came off the bench to score 20 points and pull in a team-high 11 rebounds. Gordon McNeill added 18 for the Tritons, who trailed at halftime, 34-32.

San Bernardino, which got 15 points from Darrin Queen, fell to 6-15.

The Tritons are headed for a Division III showdown Feb. 1 at Claremont-Mudd, which could determine who will get the home-court advantage in the regional playoffs. UCSD has never won a Division III postseason game.

Westmont defeated visiting Point Loma Nazarene, 72-52, in a Golden State Athletic Conference game.

Rusty Fallin led PLNC with 13. Westmont’s Peter Partain led all scorers with 15. The Crusaders fell to 10-12, 2-3. Westmont is 13-6, 4-1.

Matt Angove and Lance Roark finished with career scoring highs as Christian Heritage snapped its six-game losing streak with a 114-88 victory over Bethany (Calif.) in Scotts Valley.

Angove finished with 30 points and Roark had 27 for Christian Heritage (5-14). The Hawks shot 66.2% from the floor. Bethany dropped to 7-15.

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

San Diego State’s Kieishsha Garnes scored 29 points to tie Creighton’s Kathy Halligan for game-high honors, but aside from teammate Carmelia Bloodsaw, who added 22, the Aztecs were unable to seriously challenge Creighton’s run on the Western Athletic Conference lead in a 90-76 loss at Creighton (15-4, 5-0).

SDSU dropped to 9-8, 2-2.

UCSD held onto a 30-point halftime lead to defeat The Master’s College, 87-50, at home. Lisa Beaver scored 17 points for UCSD, which led, 43-13, at halftime. Erica Scholl scored 14 points and Bernadette Diepenbrock added 13 points and 14 rebounds for the Tritons. Diane Childs scored 17 points for The Master’s (3-17).

GIRLS’ VOLLEYBALL

Helix High standouts Karrie Downey and Jennie Long have made oral commitments to Colorado and Northern Michigan, Helix Coach Mike Welch said.

Downey, a 5-foot-10 outside hitter, was the San Diego Section Division II player of the year and a first-team USA Today All-American. She made visits to Brigham Young, Nebraska and Arizona, and also was recruited by SDSU, Welch said.

“The offense she’s going to uses the swing-hit system which we use here,” said Welch, noting that Downey, who was a blocker and hitter, should not have trouble adapting to the Buffaloes’ system.

Long, a 5-9 outside hitter, was a first-team all-section selection. Northern Michigan is a Division II program.

WOMEN’S TENNIS

University of San Diego defeated Trinity, 8-0, at the BYU Classic. USD’s No. 1 Tonya Fuller defeated Alison Fleming, 6-3, 6-0. No. 2 Tuck Kacharon defeated Michelle Bogaard, 1-6, 6-3, 6-4.

BASEBALL

Today marks the beginning of the season for U.S. International, as the Gulls open with their annual game against the alumni at Player’s Field.

Registration begins at 9 a.m., the old-timers play at 11, and the alumni-varsity game is scheduled for 2 p.m. The USIU team is competing as planned, despite the university reorganization under Chapter 11.