DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- Bryce Pope’s 3-point attempt at the buzzer missed as UC San Diego fell in closely contested battle to Chicago State by a score of 77-75 in the first round of the Ro College Basketball Invitational (CBI), Saturday at the Ocean Center. The lead changed 15 times and the score was tied 10 times in the back-and-forth battle.
It was the inaugural Division I postseason event for the Tritons, who are ineligible to compete in any of the NCAA-sanctioned tournaments due to being in their fourth and final year of reclassification.
UC San Diego concludes its 2023-24 campaign at 21-12. The Tritons finished second in The Big West regular season with a 15-5 record.
Tyler McGhie and
Aniwaniwa Tait-Jones scored 17 points apiece, while Pope put up 16 points for UCSD.
Neither team took clear control in the first half with both teams trading baskets for much of the opening 20 minutes. The Tritons had a four-point lead with a minute remaining until the intermission, but Chicago State answered with two successful possessions for a 38-38 tie at halftime.
The Cougars came out on fire in the second half and grabbed a 44-53 advantage. UCSD responded with a 13-2 run, ignited by a McGhie trey and capped off by a layup from
Emmanuel Tshimanga, to take a two-point lead, 57-55. A minute and half later, Chicago State went back on top on a 3-pointer from Wesley Cardet and did not relinquish control for the rest of the game.
With the margin at six points with 32 seconds remaining, Francis Nwaokorie made a 3-pointer and Tait-Jones put back a miss to make it a one-point game. The Tritons were forced to foul and Cardet went 1-for-2 from the charity stripe to account for the final score as UC San Diego’s last-second shot from Pope missed.