LA JOLLA, Calif. - All five starters reached double figures as the UC San Diego women's basketball team rolled to its sixth consecutive victory, defeating visiting Sonoma State 67-56 Saturday night at RIMAC Arena.
Michelle Osier scored a game-high 16 points and
Erin Noonan finished with 13 to pace the Tritons.
With the victory UCSD improves to 7-1 overall and 2-0 in California Collegiate Athletic Association play, while Sonoma State falls 3-2, 0-0 CCAA.
Osier led the team in scoring for the eighth time in eight games this season, finishing 8-of-13 from the floor. Noonan was 4-of-8 from the field, including 2-of-4 from beyond the arc on the way to a season-high. The junior forward has scored 10 or more in each of the Tritons' last three games.
Annette Ilg scored 12 points for UCSD, while
Alexis Gaskin and
Leilani Martin each finished with 10.
Osier, Gaskin, and Ilg finished with eight rebounds apiece.
UCSD shot 48% (14-29) in the opening half to take a 33-20 lead into the break. The Tritons have now held a halftime lead in all eight of their games in 2008-09.
Noonan's two triples came on back-to-back possessions at the start of the game as UCSD took an early 6-2 lead and a three-point play by Ilg gave the Tritons a 12-7 advantage three minutes later. The Seawolves came back to tie the game at 14-14 with 11:50 left in the period before UCSD closed the half on a 19-6 run to head into the locker room with a 13-point cushion.
Osier and Martin accounted for 10 of the points during the run as the Tritons held Sonoma to just two field goals in the final 6:17 of the half.
UCSD led by as many as 18 points in the second half before the visitors cut the deficit down to just five at 61-56 with 1:15 remaining. The Tritons scored the final six points of the game however, for the final 67-56 margin.
UCSD shot 46% for the game, while Sonoma State finished just over 40%.
Lauren Redfield and Olivia Larkin scored 10 points each to lead the Seawolves.
The Tritons will now take the next week off for final exams. UCSD will return to the court Friday, December 19 against St. Mary's in the first game of the 2008 UCSD Classic. Tipoff for that contest is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. following the first matchup of the day between Cal State San Bernardino and Drury University.
