LA JOLLA, Calif. - Chelsea Carlisle's three-pointer with 25 seconds remaining capped off a thrilling comeback, as the 10th-ranked UC San Diego women's basketball team defeated visiting Cal Poly Pomona 71-69 on Thursday evening at RIMAC Arena. UCSD trailed by as many as 11 points in the second half, but rallied to knock off the Broncos and sweep the season series.
Carlisle finished with a game-high 22 points for the Tritons, who improved to 16-1 overall and 11-1 in California Collegiate Athletic Association play with the victory. While she's already made several big shots in her first two seasons with the program, her triple on Thursday ranks right at the top as UCSD completed a late-game rally to avoid its second loss of the season.
Cal Poly Pomona (12-4, 9-3 CCAA) led 58-47 with 9:07 remaining, but UCSD proceeded to score the next nine points to pull within two. Tiffany Hunter scored back-to-back baskets during the stretch and Carlisle added a three-point play to make it 58-56 with 7:05 left to play.
The Broncos took a 66-60 lead following a pair of free throws from Rosslyn Beard, but Hunter scored in the paint and then converted two at the line with 1:58 left to cut the Triton deficit to two once again. After the two teams traded baskets, Reyana Colson missed the back end of two free throws and Hunter hit two more on the other end to bring UCSD to within one, 69-68, with 1:10 left.
Pomona came up empty on its next trip, opening the door for the Tritons, and Carlisle drilled a deep three from straight away to give UCSD the two-point advantage.
Stephisa Walton then missed the potential game-winning layup on the Broncos' next possession and the Tritons escaped with the improbable victory.
Carlisle finished 8-of-16 from the floor, including 3-of-7 from behind the three-point arc. She also finished with four assists and three steals in 35 minutes. The CCAA's leading scorer has now put in 20 or more in three straight games.
Hunter finished with a season-high 17, scoring 10 points in the decisive second half. The transfer from Mira Costa College connected on 6-of-8 shots from the field and hauled down a team-high eight rebounds.
UCSD shot 44% from the field for the game, while Cal Poly Pomona finished just over 48%. The Broncos held a 39-28 advantage on the glass and outscored UCSD 40-30 in the paint.
The Tritons pulled out the victory despite strong efforts from Colson, Megan Ford, and Walton for Pomona. Colson scored 20 points on 8-for-16 shooting, while Ford finished with 14 and Walton tallied 11 points and 11 boards.
The Tritons led 14-8 after the game's first five minutes, but the Broncos scored 14 unanswered to take a 22-14 advantage with 10:30 remaining in the opening half. UCSD came back to take a 30-27 lead and led 36-35 at halftime.
UCSD returns to the court on Saturday evening when Cal State San Bernardino comes to town. Tipoff is scheduled for 5:30 p.m.
