Box Score |
UCSD postgame presser
DENVER, Colo. -- No. 12 seed UC San Diego fell to No. 5 seed Michigan by a final score of 68-65 in the first round of the 2025 NCAA Tournament at Ball Arena. Despite trailing by as much as 15 points, UCSD came back in the second half to tie and even take a lead. As was their calling card all season, the Tritons forced 14 Wolverine turnovers and only committed eight.
UC San Diego ends its campaign with a 30-5 record, its most successful Division I season in program history. The Tritons were in their first year of being eligible for the tournament after a NCAA-mandated four-year transition period.
Michigan (26-9) started the game with 10 straight points, and led the Tritons 41-27 after 20 minutes. UM dominated in the paint with 24 points and secured a significant rebounding edge, grabbing 23 total boards compared to UCSD's 17 in the opening frame.
UC San Diego outscored Michigan 38-27 in the latter period of the game. After the Wolverines made a free throw in the first minute to make it a 15-point contest, the Tritons rode the wave on a 17-3 run, capped off by a layup from
Hayden Gray to cut the margin to one, 45-44. From there, Michigan opened the gap to as much as 10 points, twice, but UCSD fought back and tied the game on a
Tyler McGhie 3-pointer and took the lead, 65-63, with 2:30 remaining on a layup, also from McGhie.
Down by three points in the closing moments, McGhie's last-second game-tying 3-point attempt rimmed out as the Wolverines survived a second-half run by the Tritons.
McGhie led UC San Diego with a standout performance, scoring 25 points, hitting three 3-pointers. The senior also contributed on the boards with nine rebounds.
Nordin Kapic added 15 points, while also grabbing eight rebounds.
Chris Howell made a significant defensive impact with three steals and seven rebounds.
Justin Rochelin also added to UCSD's defensive prowess with three steals and four rebounds.