UC San Diego, Division II Basketball Team, Beats Cal State San Marcos Team With Four Players

Winning a basketball game takes a team effort--all five players working cohesively and efficiently toward the same goal. That is, unless you have four players on the court. Then it's 'OMG, everybody panic!' Which is the unlikely, yet entertaining, scenario that played out when UC San Diego  beat rival Cal State San Marcos 69-65, despite finishing the game with just four players on the court.

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The Tritons began the game with nine players in uniform. However, an ankle injury to center Zach McMillan in the second half, followed by four starters fouling out, forced them to finish the game with four players on the court--basketball is played five versus five.

And while the game was finished 5 on 4, the majority of the game was played at full strength. The fourth player foul-out to UC San Diego came with 14 seconds left in the game--a time when the Tritons were clinging to a 1-point lead. When UC San Diego coach, Eric Olen, didn't replace the player, the officials became irritated with him for not replacing the player in a timely fashion. Olen simply told them, "I don't have anyone else."

"I had been giving the refs running updates the whole time, but I don't think they believed me," Olen said, via Yahoo! Sports. "I kept telling them, 'I've got three guys with four fouls and I've only got one sub over here.' I was thinking that might help slow the whistles down."

It didn't. There were a total of 62 fouls called and 73 free throws attempted. That's enough whistles for four traffic directors in the heart of London. Even so, the Tritons were able to grind out the victory, thanks, in large, to some missed free-throws.

Down 1-point with 14 seconds remaining, Cal State San Marcos was sent to the line with a chance to take the lead. Instead, they missed both shots and were forced to intentionally foul UC San Diego. The Tritons made both of their shots, giving them a three-point lead. Two more missed free throws from Cal State San Marcos sealed the unlikely Triton victory.

As it turns out, 'OMG, everybody panic!' isn't all that bad of a strategy.