Dec. 7, 2007
Box Score
LA JOLLA, CA - Junior guard Mladen Begojevic led the Alaska Nanooks men's basketball team for the third consecutive game with a game-high and season-best 19 points, but the Alaska Nanooks went cold offensively in the second half and dropped their first road game of the weekend to the University of California San Diego Tritons, 69-58, Thursday night at RIMAC Arena.
Begojevic got two baskets to start the game and give the Blue and Gold the early advantage; however, UCSD overcame the early deficit with an 8-1 run to make it 10-5. The first half proved exciting as the action went back-and-forth seeing the score tied four times amidst seven lead changes. The Nanooks got back-to-back three-pointers from Begojevic and sophomore Kevin Atkins to closeout the half and carry a 30-24 mark to the locker room.
Coming back from the break, Alaska's got a 5-0 start after a jump shot from Atkins and a three-pointer by senior Mike Titus to entertain an 11-point lead. It was short-lived, however as a three-point shot by UCSD's Kelvin Kim at 17:26 sparked the Triton's offense that surmounted a 17-0 run over a six-minute span to catch the Nanooks at 45-45 (8:19) and take the lead for good.
The Nanooks finally responded at 5:39 when a layup by Atkins made it 54-45. Coming down the homestretch, UCSD led by as many as 12 points and Alaska was unable to draw any nearer than five points in the final five minutes of the contest.
After narrowly outshooting UCSD in the first half (44.0-41.7 percent), the Blue and Gold went cold in the second while the Tritons offensive production came alive, giving them a substantial advantage (52.2-37.9 percent).
Alaska's struggles continued at the charity stripe where they were only able to convert on 10-of-19 free throws, while the Tritons went 17-for-24.
Defensively, the Nanooks outrebounded the Tritons 38-31 in the game after pulling down over twice as many offensive boards (15-7).
For the Nanooks Atkins was the second leading scorer, registering a double-double off 17 points and a game-high 10 rebounds, while junior Colin Matteson checked in for seven points and seven rebounds.
The Tritons saw four players in double-figure scoring, led by Andrew Hatch with 15. UCSD's Clint Allard proved most helpful dishing out a game-high nine assists.
The Blue and Gold continue their road trek Saturday when they take on UC Irvine at 6 p.m. AKST for their last game before finals and the holiday break. The game will be broadcast live on KCBF 820 AM Sports in Fairbanks.
Following their trip to Southern California, the Nanooks next action will be at the ATT Alascom Jamboree on Dec. 28-29 in Anchorage, where they will play a pair of games against Christian Brothers and Ferris State.
