LA JOLLA, Calif. - The ninth-ranked UC San Diego women's basketball team won its 11th consecutive game on Thursday, defeating visiting Chico State 75-62 in a CCAA matchup at RIMAC Arena. Sophomore guard
Chelsea Carlisle scored 17 of her game-high 23 points in the opening half as the Tritons took a commanding 47-25 lead into the locker room and never looked back.
UCSD's record now stands at 11-0 overall and a perfect 6-0 in CCAA play. The defending conference champions improved to 5-0 on their home floor and have now won 29 of their last 30 league games dating back to the end of the 2007-08 season.
Chico State falls to 6-4 overall and 3-2 in the CCAA. The Wildcats have lost four of their last five after starting the season 5-0.
UCSD shot 51.4% (18-35) in the first half, outscoring Chico 38-15 over the final 14:09 of the period to build an insurmountable 22-point margin at intermission. The Tritons trailed 10-9 following a layup by the Wildcats' Pauline Ferrall, but answered with a 28-5 run over the next eight minutes to take a 37-15 advantage.
UCSD scored 15 unanswered points during the stretch, with Carlisle and Annette Ilg combining for 11 straight at one point.
The Wildcats trimmed five points off the lead (40-23) with 2:06 left in the half, but the Tritons outscored the visitors 7-2 over the final 1:46 to push the advantage back to 22.
UCSD was outstanding defensively in the first 20 minutes, holding Chico State to just 29% (9-31) shooting from the floor. The Tritons forced 15 turnovers in the period, leading to 16 points on the other end.
The Wildcats closed to within 53-40 with 15:20 left, but Daisy Feder drained a three and Leilani Martin scored in the paint to stem the tide. Chico later trimmed the deficit to 11 at 70-59, but UCSD responded once more, as Tiffany Hunter sank two free throws and Carlisle converted a layup to make it 74-59 with 4:03 left to play.
The CCAA's top offense shot just under 43% for the game, converting 27-of-62 shots from the field. Chico State finished at 37%, 23-of-62.
Carlisle finished 9-of-16 from the floor to lead three Tritons in double figures. Tiffany Hunter finished with 13 points and a season-high 13 rebounds, while Ilg tallied 10 points, four boards, three assists, and two steals.
Synchro Bull scored 13 to pace the Wildcats, while Natasha Smith finished with 12.
The Tritons will shoot for their 12th consecutive win on Saturday when Cal State Stanislaus comes to town. Tipoff is slated for 5:30 p.m. at RIMAC Arena.
