Cal Lutheran Upsets UCSD in Playoffs : College basketball: Tritons had won 17 in a row and were ranked third in the nation. But Lutheran, a team they had beaten twice this season, pulls off an 88-70 stunner.

The longest winning streak in school history melted into what will be one of UC San Diego’s longest off-seasons Saturday night.

The Tritons, in the midst of a 17-game winning streak and ranked third nationally in the NCAA Division III coaches’ poll, saw their season come to an abrupt halt when Cal Lutheran won the opening round of the NCAA Division III playoffs, 88-70.

In a game of role reversals, the Tritons--who had defeated Cal Lutheran twice this season--came out rusty and nervous, and the Kingsmen dictated the script for much of the game.

“I think we had the edge because they had beaten us twice,” said Cal Lutheran’s Jeff deLaveaga, who scored a game-high 32 points. “Anytime a team beats you twice, there’s a chance they will let down.

“And, it’s tougher to play at home sometimes than on the road.”

Give him an A for rationalization. And give UCSD a D-minus for execution.

“We did some bonehead stuff,” said UCSD Coach Tom Marshall. “Bad passing errors, bad judgment. . . .

“We weren’t focused. We did not get into sync. I’m kind of embarrassed. We can play better basketball than that.”

Mostly, the game was closer than the final score indicated. The turning point, though, came with 4:10 to play.

Cal Lutheran (16-11) had just taken its largest lead in the game, 63-55, when Kelly Crosby was called for a foul. He argued vehemently and was quickly called for a technical.

So UCSD’s John Spence, an 82% free throw shooter, stepped up to the line . . . and missed twice. Chris Moore then made the two technical foul shots, making it 63-57, but then Darvin Jackson missed a three-point attempt.

Cal Lutheran got the ball, Crosby made a driving layup, was fouled and then, after a timeout, made a free throw.

Had Spence made the two free throws and Jackson the three-pointer, it could have been a one-point game.

Instead, Cal Lutheran led, 68-57, and was in the midst of an 18-5 run.

“I felt the momentum slipping for us a little earlier,” Marshall said. “We were up by two points earlier in the second half, with the ball, and then took a very foolish shot.”

Said Cal Lutheran Coach Mike Dunlap: “There was a period around the seven-minute mark where they quick-shot the ball. They’re a very patterned team, very organized, and one of the best-coached teams we play. But there was about a three-minute period where they forgot themselves and we broke it open.”

UCSD shot only 36% for the game--and just 31% in the second half. Marshall blamed part of that on a two-week layoff and on the absence of Andy Swindell, who started at forward for UCSD before suffering a knee injury Feb. 7 and missing the rest of the season.

It didn’t matter much to Cal Lutheran. Someone asked Dunlap if this was the best game the Kingsmen played all season, and he hesitated.

“It was the sweetest,” he said.

Cal Lutheran will now play Otterbein (Ohio), which defeated Wooster (Ohio) Saturday, 91-88.