LA JOLLA, Calif. ? Michelle Osier and
Alexis Gaskin scored 18 points apiece to lead No. 13 UC San Diego to a 70-50 victory over visiting Cal State Monterey Bay Saturday night at RIMAC Arena. With the win, the Tritons sewed up the top seed heading into the CCAA Championship Tournament beginning on March 3.
UCSD picked up its 17th win in the last 18 games, improving to 24-3 overall and 17-1 in California Collegiate Athletic Association play. The Tritons, who will host a conference tournament first round game in two weeks, finished the regular season with a record of 12-2 on their home floor.
Cal State Monterey Bay falls to 10-14 overall and 5-13 in the CCAA, suffering its seventh loss in the last eight games.
After Osier and Gaskin were honored in a special ceremony before the game, the senior duo did not disappoint, scoring 36 of UCSD's 70 points. Osier finished 8-of-13 from the field and grabbed a season-high 17 rebounds, while Gaskin hit 9-of-14 shots and snared five boards.
Chelsea Carlisle finished with 12 points and 10 assists, recording her first-career double-double, while
Annette Ilg scored 10.
As they have done so often this season, the Tritons took an early lead, outscoring CSUMB 10-3 over the first 5:21. After Janet Oseguera's three-point play brought the Otters to within two at 16-14, Gaskin answered with a layup and Carlisle drained a thee from the top of the arc to push the lead back to seven at the 6:59 mark.
Osier and Gaskin then scored the Tritons' next six points as UCSD took a 27-15 advantage with 3:48 remaining and Carlisle's layup in transition two minutes later gave the Tritons their biggest lead of the half, 33-17.
UCSD led by the same 16-point margin, 37-21, at the break.
Cal State Monterey Bay climbed to within 11 (39-28) on a pair of free throws from Helen Suarez at the 17:24 mark of the second half, but Gaskin scored on the next trip to ignite an 11-2 Triton run over the next four and a half minutes as UCSD took a 50-30 advantage with 12:39 left to play.
The Tritons would lead by as many as 24 (61-37) before cruising to the 20-point final margin.
UCSD shot just under 52% from the field -- it's highest mark since shooting 57% in a rout of San Diego Christian College on December 30 -- and dominated the glass, 43-23. The Tritons outscored CSUMB 44-20 in the paint.
Dana Andrews scored 17 points to lead the Otters, while Oseguera finished with 10.
The Tritons will wrap up the regular season on the road next weekend when they travel to Chico State and Cal State Stanislaus.
