SAN DIEGO - UC San Diego spoiled the home opener for the Point Loma basketball team. The Tritons put together a 6-1 run within the last two minutes of the game to defeat the Sea Lions, 70-68.
 
Tanner Nelson led Point Loma with 14 points. He was 5-of-10 from the field and 3-of-6 from behind the arc. Ziggy Satterthwaite (11) and Preston Beverly (10) also reached double-figures for the Sea Lions. Christian Oshita and Christian Bayne paced five Tritons in double-figures with 14 points apiece.
 
Team Records
Point Loma (2-3), UC San Diego (1-2)
 
The Turning Point
In another classic game under coach Looney, it all came down to the final two minutes. PLNU was able to fight back from a nine-point halftime deficit (37-28) to take a three-point lead at 49-46. The teams traded baskets until the game was tied at 64-64 with 2:06 remaining. The Tritons closed out the game by hitting 6-of-6 shots from the charity stripe and holding PLNU without a basket until the final seconds. The Sea Lions had the ball out of bounds on their half of the court with 12 seconds left and a chance to tie, but were called for a 5-second violation.
 
Words from Coach Looney
On final two minutes: "I thought our decision making and our discipline were very poor. I definitely have higher expectations for myself as a coach in that area, but also for our players. The reality is if we were a little smarter and much more disciplined, we could be 5-0 right now."
 
On the 5-second call: "The way they guarded the inbounder made it tough to get the ball into the corner for a 3-pointer. But it was just like every other part of the game; we just aren't disciplined enough to execute the right way."
 
On UCSD: "They were the smarter and more disciplined team tonight. They have a veteran group of guys that have been together for a while and they don't make many mistakes on their own. Each individual guy on their team understands his own strengths and weakness. Unfortunately, our group isn't there yet."
 
On the crowd: "We were very thankful to all the fans that came out tonight. I thought there was great energy in the gym. I just wish we could have played a little bit better for them."
 
News and Notes
> Ziggy Satterthwaite set his PLNU career-high with 11 points
> Rodriguez paced all players with five assists
> Point Loma shot just 9-of-16 at the free throw line a game after going 21-of-23
> PLNU has outrebounded its opponents in all five games this year
> UCSD had just seven turnovers in the game (PLNU 12)
 
Up Next
The Point Loma men's basketball team will host crosstown rival San Diego Christian in its annual Homecoming game on Saturday, Nov. 18 at 8 p.m.