UCSD Basketball CCAA
The men’s and women’s basketball teams will play for titles at RIMAC Arena Saturday. Photo credits: @ucsdmbb and @ucsdwbb, via Twitter

UC San Diego will seek not one, but two basketball titles at home Saturday.

Newly-minted CCAA Most Valuable Player Tyrell Roberts scored a career high 45 Friday as UCSD’s men rallied past Cal State East Bay, 86-82, in a California Collegiate Athletic Association tournament semifinal.

The top-seeded Tritons return to the conference championship game seeking their fourth straight title. They face second seed Cal Poly Pomona, which downed Chico State, 78-53.

It’s the third straight year UCSD and Cal Poly Pomona will square off for the crown.

The No. 25 women’s team swept past Stanislaus State 73-53 after a late push. They also are headed to their fourth straight CCAA championship game, which will be all local, as they face Cal State San Marcos.

The men’s team, ranked No. 4 in Division II, won its 21st straight on the way to a 29-1 record on the season. The women’s team improved to 24-5.

For the men, Roberts took over in the second half against Chico State, on his way to setting a CCAA tournament scoring record. He banked in the game-winner with 3.2 seconds left. 

His 45-point effort was the third highest individual point total in a CCAA game ever, and one point shy of the Triton school record.

On the women’s side, UCSD slipped in the second half, as Stanislaus State put up 20 points to grab the lead, 46-43. Sydney Sharp and Sydney Brown helped the Tritons storm ahead though, outscoring the Warriors 14-3 at one point. The Tritons scored 30 points down the stretch, while holding the Warriors to only seven.

CCAA Most Valuable Player Julia Macabuhay also chipped in nine points.

The men’s team will host Cal Poly Pomona for the CCAA title at 5 p.m. Saturday. The game, at RIMAC Arena, will be broadcast live on ESPN3.

San Marcos beat Cal State East Bay 77-69 in the late game Friday to earn the right to meet UCSD at  8 p.m. Saturday.

– Staff reports