The Schedule
Game No. 9
UC San Diego Tritons (2-6, 1-4) vs. Chico State Wildcats (7-2, 3-1)
Thursday, January 7, 2010
RIMAC Arena (5,000) • 7:30 pm

Game No. 10
UC San Diego Tritons (2-6, 1-4) vs. Cal State Stanislaus Warriors (5-4, 1-3)
Saturday, January 9, 2010
RIMAC Arena (5,000) • 7:30 pm

What's On Tap
After a pair of tough road losses last weekend, the UC San Diego men's basketball team comes home for four straight, looking to get things turned around within the friendly confines of RIMAC Arena. The Tritons will entertain Chico State in their California Collegiate Athletic Association home opener on Thursday night and then host Cal State Stanislaus on Saturday. Both contests will tip at approximately 7:30 p.m. following the women's games. After locking horns with the Wildcats and Warriors, UCSD will host Cal State Monterey Bay and San Francisco State on Jan. 14 and 16.

For the Record
The Tritons enter competition this week with an overall record of 2-6 and a 1-4 mark in the CCAA following losses to Cal State L.A. (62-53) and Cal State Dominguez Hills (67-55) last week. Head coach Chris Carlson's squad had won two straight to close the book on 2009, but could not keep the momentum going against the Golden Eagles and Toros to open the new year. Thursday's contest will mark UCSD's second appearance at RIMAC Arena in 2009-10, where the Tritons recorded a 64-49 win over San Diego Christian College on Dec. 22. UCSD finished with a 9-2 home record last season.

Where Did the O Go?
In the two wins over Cal State East Bay and San Diego Christian last month, UCSD averaged 67 points and shot just under 45% from the field. Jordan Lawley (16.5), Tyler Acevedo (11.0), and Christian Hatch (10.5) all averaged more than 10 points per game in those contests. In the losses to Cal State L.A. and Cal State Dominguez Hills over the weekend, the Triton offense managed just 54.0 points on 31.3% shooting and Lawley was the only player to reach double figures in both games. If the Tritons are going to get things moving in the right direction, the offense has to step up. Hopefully a return to RIMAC Arena will be just what the doctor ordered.

Scouting the Wildcats
Chico State comes to town with an overall record of 7-2 and a 3-1 mark in the CCAA after earning a split at Cal State San Bernardino and Cal Poly Pomona last week. The Wildcats fell to the Coyotes by an 85-74 count on Saturday, but rebounded to knock off the Broncos, 72-70, in overtime on Sunday. Chico State ranks fifth in the CCAA averaging 69.1 points per game offensively, while the defense has allowed 65.3 on the other end, a figure that ranks eighth. Senior guard Jon Baird leads the team in scoring at 15.0 points per night, while shooting better than 40% from behind the three-point arc. Junior forward Terrence Pellum is also having a nice season for the Wildcats, averaging 14.2 points and 4.8 rebounds. He is shooting a team-high 56.3% from the field. UCSD and Chico State are deadlocked at 10 in the all-time series, with each team winning on its home floor in 2008-09. The Tritons posted a 69-63 victory at RIMAC on Jan. 24, before the Wildcats took the rematch, 60-57, on Feb. 26.

Scouting the Warriors
Cal State Stanislaus begins the first full week of the new year at 5-4 overall and 1-3 in conference play after going 1-1 against Pomona and San Bernardino over the weekend. The Warriors lost a narrow 51-50 decision to the Broncos on Saturday, but took down the Coyotes in another close game, 70-68, the following night. The Stanislaus offense is currently ranked third in the CCAA, putting up over 70 points per game, while the defense ranks sixth, allowing 63.8. Senior forward Jordan Stokes leads a balanced attack for the Wildcats, averaging a team-high 9.6 points to go with 6.1 rebounds. Junior center Frank Monge leads the conference in field goal percentage at 72%, while averaging 9.3 points and team-high 6.7 rebounds. UCSD holds a narrow 14-13 advantage over CSUS in the all-time series after taking both meetings a year ago. After recording a 67-58 win in La Jolla on Jan. 24, the Tritons scored a season-high 98 points in a 30-point rout of the Warriors to conclude the regular season on Feb. 27.

Law Man
Senior guard Jordan Lawley has been the Tritons' leading scorer all season and enters Thursday's game against Chico State ranked second in the CCAA, averaging 16.1 points per game. He is also averaging a career-best 4.1 rebounds and dishing out 2.6 assists. The Lodi, Calif. native is shooting just over 38% from the field and leads the squad playing 34.9 minutes per night. Lawley had a big week against Cal State L.A. and Cal State Dominguez Hills, averaging 20.5 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 3.5 assists in the two games. He scored a season-high 24 points and tallied four rebounds and three assists in the nine-point setback to the Golden Eagles.

Less Than Jake
Freshman guard Jake Tarabilda was very solid for the Tritons last week, averaging 7.5 points, 1.5 rebounds, and 2.0 assists against the Golden Eagles and Toros. He hit 4-of-9 shots from the field, 44.4%, and converted on 2-of-5 attempts from behind the three-point arc, 40%. After finishing with seven points on 3-of-5 shooting and a pair of assists against Cal State L.A., the native of Murrieta, Calif. finished with a season-high eight points, two rebounds, two assists, and a steal in 31 minutes against Cal State Dominguez Hills. For the season, Tarabilda is averaging 4.8 points, 2.0 boards, and 1.8 assists.

Front and Center
Sophomore center Christian Hatch has been doing a great job of manning the middle lately, averaging 8.3 points and 5.5 rebounds in UCSD's last four games. He recorded his first career double-double against Cal State East Bay on Dec. 15, finishing with 14 points and 11 rebounds to establish new career marks in both categories. After an off-night against Cal State L.A. on Saturday, Hatch responded with a solid effort against Cal State Dominguez Hills, finishing with nine points on 3-of-6 shooting to go with four boards and a blocked shots. The Henderson, Nev. native is averaging 6.6 points and 5.0 rebounds for the season.  

Slow Starts Have To Stop
The Tritons have started off slowly several times this season and it has absolutely killed them. UCSD has trailed at halftime in six of their eight games in 2009-10 and fallen behind by 10 or more in the opening period on four occasions. For the season, opponents have outscored UCSD 236-187 in the first half for an average of over six points per game. After trailing Cal State L.A. 32-15 at intermission on Saturday, the Tritons were in great shape to reverse the trend against Cal State Dominguez Hills on Sunday -- leading by as many as six in the opening period -- but the Toros closed the half on a 7-2 run to take a 31-27 cushion into the locker room. UCSD has been much better in the second half this season, outscoring the opposition, 257-250.  

Tritons Picked To Finish Sixth CCAA Coaches Poll
UCSD was selected to finish sixth in the California Collegiate Athletic Association regular season standings, according to the league's preseason coaches poll that was released last month. The Tritons, who finished tied for fourth in the conference last season at 13-7, received 68 points, two behind fifth place Cal State L.A. Cal Poly Pomona was picked to win the 2009-10 CCAA regular season title, receiving six first place votes and a total of 115 points. Humboldt State collected 113 points and five first place votes to finish second, while Cal State San Bernardino was third after garnering 95 points and the remaining first place vote. Cal State Dominguez Hills was picked fourth after receiving 87 points and Cal State L.A. was fifth with 70. Following UCSD was Sonoma State (49), Chico State (48), San Francisco State (44), Cal State Monterey Bay (38), Cal State Stanislaus (31), and Cal State East Bay (13), finishing seventh through 12th, respectively.