LA JOLLA, Calif. ? The 24th-ranked UC San Diego women's basketball team led by 12 at halftime and never looked back, cruising to a 96-68 victory over Cal State San Bernardino on Wednesday evening in RIMAC Arena. With the win the Tritons improve to 17-4 overall and 12-3 in CCAA play while dropping the Coyotes to 12-10 on the year, 6-9 in league play.
UCSD never trailed in the contest, scoring the first four points of the game before CSUSB tied it at four apiece with 17:33 remaining in the first stanza. From there the Tritons went on a 14-4 run and never led by less than eight points the rest of the way.
Briana Hinga was one of four UCSD players to score in double figures, pouring in 12 points to go along with 12 rebounds, three assists, three steals and two blocked shots. The two blocks give her 37 for the season, setting a new UCSD single-season record, eclipsing Lisa Beaver's total of 36 from the 1991-92 season.
Leora Juster, the CCAA's leading scorer, added a game-high 21 points while Hillary Hansen and Michelle Osier chipped in with 18 and 16 points, respectively.
Desirae Martinez led the Coyotes with 13 points. Jaclyn Rainville and Mariqueta Starling each had eight points in the loss. Christina Day scored seven and pulled down a team-high nine boards.
The 17 wins for UC San Diego ties a program high for victories in a single season at the Division II level, tying last year's team that went 17-11. Head coach Janell Jones has her team on pace for the program's first 20-win season since the school's last year at Division III. That team went 20-6 during the 1999-2000 campaign.
UCSD returns to action on Friday evening, hosting Cal State Monterey Bay at 5:30 p.m. The Tritons will then welcome Grand Canyon University into RIMAC for a 2 p.m. tipoff on Sunday afternoon.
