CARSON, Calif. ? Junior guard
Annette Ilg scored a career-high 21 points and
Michelle Osier finished with 17 to lead the 12th-ranked UC San Diego women's basketball team to a 69-63 conference victory over Cal State Dominguez Hills Friday night at the Torodome. The Toros pulled to within one with 1:03 remaining, but the Tritons converted seven free throws in the final minute to hold on for their 13th straight victory.
UCSD improves to 20-2 overall this season and remained perfect in California Collegiate Athletic Association play at 13-0, sweeping the season series from the Toros. The Tritons' current winning streak is the program's longest at the Division II level and third-longest overall. The 1997-98 squad won 16 straight games, while the Tritons won 15 in a row in 1990-91. Both of those streaks came in the D-III ranks.
The Tritons will look to add to their impressive run Saturday night against Cal State L.A.
Ilg hit 6-of-10 shots from the field, including 4-of-8 from the three-point line to lead four players in double figures for UCSD. She surpassed her previous career mark of 16 points that came against Hawaii-Pacific on November 28 and also finished with four rebounds and three assists.
Osier was just 4-of-12 from the field, but got to the free throw line often, converting 9-of-14 attempts.
Alexis Gaskin and
Leilani Martin finished with 10 points and seven rebounds apiece.
Ilg scored 13 of her points in the first half on 4-of-5 shooting as UCSD built a 40-29 lead at the break. The Toros made a run in the second half, however, holding the Tritons to just three points over the first 6:25 of the period. CSUDH cut the deficit to five (43-38) on MacKenzie Mathias' three, before Ilg ended the UCSD drought with a triple of her own.
A 9-2 run by the home team tied the game at 51-51, but Martin sank a pair of the free throws and Osier came up with a steal that led to an Ilg three-point play to put the Tritons back in front by five with just under six minutes to play.
Neka Mixon's layup brought the Toros to within 60-59 with just over a minute left, but Martin responded once again, scoring inside to turn back the threat. Ilg, Gaskin and Osier combined for seven free throws in the final 36 seconds to seal the victory for the Tritons.
Mixon led all scorers with 23 points and hauled in a game-high 11 rebounds for Dominguez, while Brittney Blankenship put in 14.
UCSD shot just 22% in the second half after hitting at a 48% clip in the first. The Tritons were 7-of-16 from three-point territory, however, 44%. UCSD hit 6-of-9 threes in the first half, three of which came from Ilg.
Cal State Dominguez Hills shot 40% and outscored UCSD 32-18 in the paint. The Toros fall to 12-8 overall and 7-6 in the CCAA.
