HENDERSON, Nev. (AP) — Hayden Gray knocked down six of his seven 3-point attempts and UC San Diego pulled away late to beat UC Irvine, 75-61 to earn its first Big West Conference Tournament championship and its first NCAA Tournament berth on Saturday night.
The Tritons moved up from Division II to join the conference in 2020 and won the regular season championship with 18 wins in 20 conference games. They have now won 15 straight and take a 30-4 record into the Big Dance in their first full year of Division I eligibility.
UC Irvine took a 33-31 lead at intermission, but the Tritons took the lead in the third minute of the second half on a jumper by Tyler McGhie to start an 8-0 run for a seven-point advantage, 43-36.