LA JOLLA, Calif. --  Houston Christian University dropped its first road contest of the season, falling 78-60 decision to UC San Diego on Saturday night at Lion Tree Arena. A game tied with 10 minutes to play in the first half turned into a 14-point deficit at the half that the Huskies never recovered from in suffering their first defeat of the campaign.

Both teams spent the early portion of the contest feeling things out, but the game quickly grabbed a smooth tempo as nearly nine minutes went by before the first media timeout hit.
 
Down just 4-0 with nearly four minutes gone, the Huskies started an 11-2 run with Demarco Bethea scoring five straight and Kylin Green scoring four more, including a pretty reverse in traffic that capped the burst to hand HCU a five-point edge nearly seven minutes in.
 
Trent Johnson's step-back three-pointer gave the Huskies a 15-11 advantage at the 10:45 mark. The Tritons then began to assert themselves on the offensive end with Cade Pendleton's three-ball pushing the hosts ahead 20-17. Four points from Hudson Mayes and a three-point play from Jaden Vance finished off a 20-4 run that gave UCSD its first double-digit lead, 31-19 at the under-four media.
 
The two teams would trade a bucket over the final three-and-a-half minutes as the UC San Diego carried a 35-21 lead to the halftime break. The Tritons came out hot to start the second half, using a 19-3 run that forced an HCU timeout with 13:35 to go. That lead would extend over the next four minutes, reaching its largest midway through the half on an Aidan Burke triple.
 
HCU would put together a solid last stretch of the contest. D'Aundre Samuels and Mambourou Mara each scored seven points during the 22-10 closing run over the last 5:46 as the Huskies finished the game hitting seven of their final eight shots.
 
The Huskies shot 44% on the evening from the floor and 32% from the arc, but struggled from the charity stripe at just 36%, hitting 5-14. UC San Diego enjoyed the home court, hitting 50% from the field and 39% from deep, connecting on 10 treys. The Tritons turned 16 HCU turnovers into 23 points, while also enjoying a 35-26 edge from the bench and a 38-29 margin on the backboards.
 
D'Aundre Samuels led the Huskies with 12 points off the bench. Demarco Bethea had 10 points and five boards while Kylin Green had nine points and four rebounds. Mambourou Mara and Obadiah Curtis each chipped in seven points, with Mara adding five caroms and three assists.
 
Tom Beattie led UCSD (2-0) with 18 points, six boards and four assists. Alex Chaikin had 10 points and five boards, while a trio of players, Emanuel Prospere II, Cade Pendleton and Jaden Vance, each recorded nine points.
 
HCU is now 1-1 on the season and will return to action next Thursday when they host University of Louisiana-Monroe. Tip-off at Sharp Gym is slated for 7 pm. 
 
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