SAN BERNARDINO, Calif. ? The UC San Diego women's basketball duo of Michelle Osier and Meaghan Noud combined to outscore No. 24 Cal State San Bernardino in the Tritons' 66-56 win on Friday night at Coussoulis Arena. Osier poured in 30 points to go with 16 rebounds while Noud contributed 27 points and seven boards. After leading by one point at halftime, the Tritons led by as many as 14 points in the second half. CSUSB came within five points with two minutes left, but the Tritons pulled away, making 24-of-30 free-throws in the game. With the win, UCSD sweeps the regular season series, improving to 20-7, 12-5 CCAA, while the Coyotes drop to 20-5, 14-4 CCAA.
The win for UCSD gives the women's basketball program 20 victories for the third consecutive season.
Osier finished the night with 30 points on 9-for-15 shooting, and 12-for-15 from the free-throw line. Noud hit four three pointers and made 11-for-13 from the charity stripe, contributing to her 27 points.
Erin Noonan chipped in with nine rebounds and seven points while Alexis Mezzetta dished out a team-high five assists.
The Tritons also held CSUSB's Vanessa Wilt to just five field-goal attempts, seven points and eight rebounds. Krystal Urzua led the Coyotes with 29 points, including six three-point field goals.
Early on, the game was a game of streaks as the Coyotes opened the game on an 8-0 run. The Tritons came right back with an 11-2 run to take the lead on a basket by Alexis Gaskin. For the rest of the first half, neither team could pull away.
In the second half, a tip-in by Osier put the Tritons on top 40-32 with 13:08 remaining. With the score 45-39 UCSD, the Tritons went on a 11-3 run to take their largest lead of the game at 56-42 with 5:38 remaining.
CSUSB came right back, cutting the deficit down to 58-53 with 2:00 to play. After missed baskets by both teams, the Coyotes were forced to foul for the last 1:00 of the game. The Tritons hit seven consecutive free-throws down the stretch to close out the 66-56 win.
UCSD is back in action tomorrow night when it travels to Cal Poly Pomona to take on the Broncos. Tip-off is set for 5:30 p.m.
