ARCATA, Calif. - Brittney Taylor scored a game-high 28 points and Andrea Bobic finished with 25 to lead Humboldt State to an 84-80 victory over No. 7 UC San Diego on Thursday night at Lumberjack Gym.
Chelsea Carlisle scored 22 points to lead four players in double figures for the Tritons, but it wasn't enough to prevent UCSD's first loss of the season.
Humboldt State has now won five of its last seven games, improving to 11-4 overall and 9-2 in the California Collegiate Athletic Association. The Lumberjacks entered Thursday's game in third place in the conference standings behind UCSD and Cal Poly Pomona.
UCSD falls to 14-1 overall and 9-1 in the CCAA after suffering its first defeat since the final game of last season. The Tritons had won 32 of their previous 33 league games overall, with their last loss coming at the hands of Cal State San Bernardino at home in February of last season. UCSD's last conference loss on the road was on February 23, 2008 at Cal Poly Pomona.
The senior duo of Taylor and Bobic were outstanding for the Lumberjacks, combing for 53 points on 19-for-30 shooting to lift the home team to its first win over the Tritons since February of the 2007-08 season. Taylor finished 10-of-15 from the floor and hauled in 10 rebounds, while Bobic was 9-of-15 and finished with four boards, two assists, and two steals.
Carlisle had another strong performance in her own right, connecting on 8-of-16 shots from the field, including 4-of-10 from the three-point line, to pace the Tritons for the sixth time in seven games. She also finished with four boards and four assists.
Annette Ilg scored 19 points on 9-of-20 shooting, while
Tiffany Hunter finished with 14 and
Daisy Feder added 10, all in the first half.
The Tritons trailed by as many as nine points in the second half (67-58), but rallied to tie the game at 71 with 3:32 remaining. After the two teams traded baskets, Humboldt State followed with six unanswered points to take a 79-73 lead with 1:03 remaining. Taylor scored in the paint, Bree Halsey hit a pair of free throws, and Lisa Petty converted a layup to give the Lumberjacks all the space they would need.
Trailing by four with 38 seconds left to play, the Tritons were forced to foul, but the Lumberjacks hit five free throws to put the game away.
UCSD shot 48% for the game, hitting 31-of-65 shots, while Humboldt also finished at 48%, converting 29-of-60 attempts. The Lumberjacks were 12-of-27 from downtown, 44%, while the Tritons hit 7-of-20 shots, 35%.
The Lumberjacks held a 24-13 advantage halfway through the first half, but UCSD responded with a 24-11 run to close the period and take a 37-35 lead into the locker room at the break.
The Tritons will look to bounce back on Saturday night when they travel to Sonoma State for a matchup with the Seawolves. Tipoff is scheduled for 5:30 p.m.
