LA JOLLA, Calif. – The seventh-ranked UC San Diego women's basketball team outscored San Francisco State 19-6 during a six minute stretch in the second half on the way to a 74-61 victory over the visiting Gators on Saturday night at RIMAC Arena.
Chelsea Carlisle led all scorers with 17 points in the win, while
Erin Noonan scored a season-high 11, and
Annette Ilg finished with 10.
After shooting just 36% in a lackluster first half, the Tritons shot better than 63% in the second to take care of the Gators and stay perfect on the season. UCSD improves to 14-0 overall in 2009-10 and 9-0 in California Collegiate Athletic Association play, while SFSU falls to 7-10 and 3-6 against league foes.
The Tritons, who have already wrapped up the best start in program history, are closing in on UCSD's all-time consecutive win streak, needing two more victories to match that mark. The 1997-98 team currently holds that record after winning 16 games in a row, while last year's team won 15 straight during an impressive run from late December through the middle of February.
Carlisle hit four of her first five shots and finished 6-of-9 from the field, reaching double figures for the 13th time in 14 games this season. The sophomore point guard also finished with four rebounds, five assists, and three steals.
Noonan, who hadn't scored more than nine points in a game all season, hit 3-of-5 shots from the floor in her best offensive performance of the year. She also tallied three boards, three assists, and two steals in 25 minutes.
Ilg did a little bit of everything for the Tritons as well, finishing with three rebounds, two assists, and three steals to go with another double-digit scoring effort.
UCSD led 43-42 with 13:59 remaining in the second half, before finally opening up a sizable advantage against the pesky Gators. The Tritons scored 11 unanswered points over the next three minutes, with Carlisle accounting for five of them, to take a 54-42 advantage and assume control of the game.
San Francisco State closed to within eight at 56-48 with 8:46 left to play, but
Leilani Martin scored inside,
Daisy Feder knocked down two free throws, and
Tiffany Hunter hit a jumper to stem the tide at 62-48.
The visitors would get no closer than nine points the rest of the way and the Tritons cruised to their 14th straight win.
UCSD shot 45.5% (22-55) for the game, while SFSU finished at a 40% (25-62) clip. The Gators won the battle on the glass, 38-32, while the Tritons were plus-16 at the free throw line.
Donisha Tate scored 11 points and grabbed 10 rebounds to lead the Gators, while Andrea Ohlssen also scored 11. Dominique Hunter finished with nine points, 10 boards, and three blocks.
UCSD trailed by as many as eight points in the first half, but came back to take a 26-22 lead with five minutes left in the period. Feder hit jumper with 26 seconds left to give the Tritons a two-point advantage, but Jessica Hout-Freeman answered with a bucket at the buzzer for the Gators to tie the game at 32 going into the locker room.
The Tritons will hit the road next week, looking to keep their streak going at Humboldt State and Sonoma State. UCSD will face the Lumberjacks on Thursday at 5:30 p.m. to begin the week.
