LA JOLLA, Calif. - The ninth-ranked UC San Diego women's basketball team tipped off the 2011-12 season on Thursday, posting a 67-43 victory over visiting Biola University in an exhibition matchup at RIMAC Arena.
Senior guard Daisy Feder led all scorers with 16 points for the Tritons, while senior center Lauren Freidenberg added 14 and junior guard Emily Osga chipped in with 10. Senior guard Chelsea Carlisle scored seven points and dished out a game-high seven assists.
UCSD shot 43.6% (24-55) from the field, with Feder, Freidenberg and Osga combining to hit 17-of-28 shots, 60.7%. Feder was 5-of-10, including 2-of-3 from the three-point line, while Freidenberg converted 7-of-10 from the floor and Osga went 5-of-8.
"Tonight was a great opportunity for us to see where we're at right now," fifth-year head coach Charity Elliott said. "We saw some really good things out there and got great efforts from several individuals, but we also saw some things we need to work on. We'll work on those things are try to keep getting better."
Lauren Gustafson scored 15 points to lead the Eagles, while Chelsea Hill tallied a double-double with 11 points and 10 boards. Adijat Adams added six points and 11 rebounds.
Biola shot just under 24% (16-67) from the floor, but finished with a commanding 50-35 rebounding advantage to keep the game close in the first half. The Eagles tallied 26 offensive rebounds to just eight for the Tritons.
UCSD scored nine of the game's first 11 points, but the visitors rallied back to within a point at 13-12 following a pair of free throws from Gustafson. Freidenberg answered with an easy bucket, sparking an 18-6 run over the next seven and a half minutes as UCSD took a 31-18 advantage with just under five minutes left to play in the half.
The Eagles hung around though, closing the period on an 8-1 burst to cut the Tritons' lead to 32-26 heading into the locker room.
It was all UCSD in the second half as the Tritons extended their defense full court and quickly assumed control. Leading 36-28 two and a half minutes into the period, UCSD scored 10 unanswered points to build an 18-point cushion and never looked back. Freidenberg scored four points during the run, converting a pair of buckets in transition on nice passes from Carlisle.
The Eagles would get no closer than 11 the rest of the way and the Tritons pushed their advantage all the way to 24 points just before the final horn.
UCSD held a 15-4 advantage in bench scoring and forced Biola into 25 turnovers, leading to 28 points on the other end.
The Tritons will now face Division I Stanford in their second of three exhibition contests on Wednesday, November 2 at Maples Pavilion. Tipoff is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. One of the elite programs in women's college basketball, the Cardinal are coming off the program's ninth NCAA Final Four appearance this past Spring.
