LA JOLLA, Calif. ? The 18th-ranked UC San Diego women's basketball team led by as many as 11 points in the second half and held off a valiant Sonoma State team for a 66-59 victory on Friday night in front of 1,421 rowdy fans inside RIMAC Arena. With the win the Tritons improve to 17-3 overall and maintain their place atop the CCAA standings with Cal State Bakersfield at 13-2 in league play. The Seawolves fall to 9-10 overall and 8-7 in conference action.
Sophomore Michelle Osier, who had a double-double by halftime, finished the game with 20 points and 12 rebounds while junior Jillian Ricks added a career-high 14 points, nine of which came in the first half. Senior Leora Juster was limited to just 11 points on the night but had eight big assists and two steals for UCSD.
Danae Wellander went 8-for-23 from the floor for a team-high 16 points while Lauren Redfield and Chelsey Armacost added 15 and 14 points, respectively. Heidi Mertle grabbed a team-high six rebounds in the loss for SSU.
As a team the Tritons shot 54.0% from the floor, making 27 of 50 shots that included a 5-for-12 performance from long range. UCSD managed to make only 7 of 12 shots from the charity stripe but did out-rebound the Seawolves by a 33-28 margin.
Conversely, SSU made on 22 of its 56 from the floor for a .393 shooting percentage that included a 9-for-25 night from beyond the 3-point arc. The Seawolves went 6-for-11 from the charity stripe.
The win for UCSD is its fourth in a row over SSU, completing the season sweep of the Seawolves for the second-straight season.
Head coach Janell Jones and her squad returns to action on Saturday night, hosting Humboldt State at 5:30 p.m. inside RIMAC Arena. The Tritons posted a 77-65 victory over HSU earlier this year in Arcata, Calif.
