[Photo gallery]

SAN DIEGO – Daulton Hommes scored 27 points and matched a season-high with 11 rebounds to help lead the No. 1 seeded Point Loma men's basketball team over No. 4 UC San Diego, 73-50, and into the championship game of the NCAA West Regional.
 
While Hommes was knocking down shots from all over the field, it was the defensive end of the floor that fueled the Sea Lions into their first regional final. Point Loma came into the game with the emphasis of challenging any open shooter, and the Sea Lions stuck to that plan to perfection. They limited UCSD to 29 points in the first half and were even better in the second half. The Tritons scored only 21 points in the final 20 minutes of the game while shooting just .296 percent from the floor.
 
Meanwhile, PLNU shot .560 percent in the second half and had only three turnovers. Point Loma pushed its 36-29 halftime-lead all the way to 25 points in the second half (73-48), as they never gave the Tritons any chance at a comeback. UCSD never led in the game.
 
Ben Okhotin came off the bench to score 10 points on 3-of-3 shooting. He was the only other Sea Lion in double figures. Tyrell Roberts led UC San Diego with 15 points, but he took 14 shots to get there (6-of-14).
 
This was the second time this season the two teams played in Golden Gym. Their earlier meeting on Nov. 14, went to overtime, with Point Loma winning 75-73.
 
Team Records
#1 Point Loma (28-4), #4 UC San Diego (26-8)
 
Turning point
With a minute left in the first half UCSD cut the Sea Lions' lead to four (33-29) on a Tyrell Roberts 3-pointer, but the Sea Lions did not panic, instead it was time for Hommes to show why he was selected as the D2CCA West Region Player of the Year. He hit a step-back 3-pointer right in front of the UCSD bench right before the halftime buzzer, and then came out and scored the first seven points of the second half for PLNU. Hommes' effort started an 18-4 run for the Sea Lions, which extended their lead from four to 18. UCSD would never get closer than 16 points the rest of the game.

News and Notes
> The 28 wins are the most for Point Loma since 1999-00 (28-7)
> This is just the fifth time in school history that the basketball team has reached the 28-win mark
> The school record for wins in a season is 31 (1952-53)
> This is the third time this season PLNU has held an NCAA Division II opponent below 50 points
> PLNU leads the all-time series against UCSD 28-19
> PLNU is 24-1 this season when holding their opponents to 75 points or less
> Point Loma is 24-0 in games in which it makes more free throws than its opponent takes
> Daulton Hommes scored in double figures in all 32 games this season, including eclipsing the 20-point plateau 16 times

Words from coach Looney and the student-athletes


Up Next
The Sea Lions will face Saint Martin's in the NCAA West Region Championship game on Monday, Mar. 18 at 7:30 p.m. This is the first appearance for either program in the regional championships.