LA JOLLA, Calif. – Chelsea Carlisle scored seven of her game-high 20 points in the final 1:59 to guide the seventh-ranked UC San Diego women's basketball team to a 68-63 victory over visiting Cal State Monterey Bay on Thursday night at RIMAC Arena. The Tritons saw their 16-point second half lead cut to just one with 2:15 left to play, but hung on for their 13th consecutive victory.
UCSD shot just 34% from the floor -- including 30% in the second half -- but head coach
Charity Elliott's squad found a way to get it done and keep their perfect record intact. The Tritons are now 13-0 overall and 8-0 in the California Collegiate Athletic Association heading into Saturday's matchup with San Francisco State.
Cal State Monterey Bay suffered just its third loss of the season, falling to 9-3 overall and 5-3 in the CCAA.
Carlisle made just 6-of-20 shots from the field, but came through when it mattered most, draining a big three to give UCSD a 62-58 lead with less than two minutes to play. The Otters had outscored the Tritons 13-3 over the previous eight minutes to pull within 59-58.
UCSD's sophomore point guard then came up with a steal on CSUMB's next possession, leading to a pair of free throws from
Annette Ilg as the Tritons extended their lead to 64-58 with 42 seconds left on the clock.
London Houchin followed with a three-pointer for the Otters to cut the deficit in half, but Carlisle would sink four free throws on the Tritons' final two possessions to seal the win.
"We missed a lot of shots that normally fall for us and Monterey Bay played very, very well tonight," Elliott said. "Even though we were struggling, our defense came up big in the final three minutes and we found a way to win. It wasn't easy, but we'll take it."
Carlisle hit 3-of-9 attempts from behind the arc to score in double figures for the 12th time in 13 games. While she struggled to find her shot for much of the game, the Agoura Hills, Calif. native found other ways to contribute, finishing with a career-high nine rebounds, three assists, and two steals.
Annette Ilg scored 10 points to go with four boards, two assists, and two steals, while
Daisy Feder and
Leilani Martin added nine points apiece off the bench.
Tiffany Hunter scored eight points and finished with a game-high 11 rebounds.
Michelle Santizo scored 14 points on 4-of-6 shooting from behind the arc to lead the Otters, who shot just under 40% for the game. Houchin finished with 12 points off the bench, while Veronica Williams tallied 10 points and 10 rebounds.
The Tritons held a 35-20 advantage at the half and took their biggest lead of 40-24 with 17:35 remaining, but the visitors clawed their way back into it, cutting the deficit to 43-34 with less than 14 minutes left. A three by Houchin made it 56-50 at the 8:17 mark and her layup with 1:59 on the clock cut the deficit to just one.
The Tritons will look to make it 14 in a row against the Gators on Saturday at 7:30 p.m.
