POMONA, Calif. ? The 15th-ranked UC San Diego women's basketball team led by as many as 21 points in the second half and held on for a 75-62 victory over Cal Poly Pomona on Friday evening in Kellogg Gymnasium. With the win the Tritons improve to 20-4 overall and 16-3 in CCAA play while dropping the Broncos to 7-17 overall and 6-13 in league action.
The 20 wins marks the fifth time in program history that the UCSD women's basketball team has reached that plateau and the second time in as many years. All three other 20-win seasons came at the Division III level. None of those 20-win seasons at the D-III level came in back-to-back years.
The Tritons used a 20-2 run early in the first half to take a lead they would not relinquish. UCSD led by 13 at halftime and pushed that advantage to 21 with 6:29 to go in the second half after a 3-pointer from Alexis Mezzetta.
Cal Poly Pomona went on a 16-3 run over the next five minutes to pull within eight points, but a 3-pointer from Michelle Osier and five free throws from Leora Juster put the game away for the Tritons.
Juster led all scorers on the night, scoring 25 points to go along with five assists and five steals in the win. Osier added 17 points while Hillary Hansen chipped in with 11 points and a team-high eight rebounds.
Ashley Moody led for Cal Poly Pomona players who scored in double figures, pouring in 19 to go along with seven boards. Ally Smith and Porsche Kirksey added 14 and 12 points, respectively.
Head coach Janell Jones and her squad returns to action on Saturday night, playing at Cal State San Bernardino. Tip-off is slated for 5:30 p.m. in Coussoulis Arena on the CSUSB campus.
