LA JOLLA, Calif. - Senior center
Lauren Freidenberg scored 14 points and senior guard
Chelsea Carlisle finished with 11 to lead the eighth-ranked UC San Diego women's basketball team to a resounding 85-55 win over Cal State San Marcos on the first day of the UCSD Thanksgiving Classic Friday evening at RIMAC Arena.
Playing at home for the first time, the Tritons shot just under 49% from the field en route to a big halftime lead and never looked back, rolling to their biggest win of the young season. UCSD improves to 5-0 overall with the victory, while Cal State San Marcos drops to 4-6.
"It's great to come out and get a win at home," fifth-year head coach Charity Elliott said. "We had a lot of energy tonight playing in front of our home crowd and we did a lot of things well early on in the game and it paid off for us."
Freidenberg finished 7-of-12 from the field and grabbed a team-high eight rebounds, while Carlisle was 4-of-10 and dished out eight assists. Emily Osga and Megan Perry finished with nine points apiece, while Erin Dautremont and Natalie Luzar each chipped in with eight.
The Tritons shot 45% from the field overall, converting 36-of-79 shots, including 8-of-26 from the three-point line. UCSD scored 28 points on 29 CSUSM turnovers and got a boost from its reserves as well, outscoring the Cougars 39-15 off the bench.
"I was really proud of the way our bench played tonight," Elliott added. "I thought the reserves came in and did an outstanding job. They did a lot of things well and that's what you want to see from your second and third groups."
Gabriell Munsch and Sidney Dobner scored 14 points apiece for Cal State San Marcos, while Danielle Cooper tallied six points and a game-high 10 rebounds. The Cougars shot 39%, finishing 22-of-56 from the field.
After trailing by four early on, UCSD scored 14 unanswered points to take a 22-12 lead with eight and a half minutes remaining in the opening half. Carlisle hit a three to ignite the rally and Freidenberg scored back-to-back baskets as the Tritons assumed control.
CSUSM pulled to within five at 28-23 on a layup by Dobner with 5:28 remaining, but UCSD answered with another huge run, outscoring the Cougars 13-1 over the next three minutes to take a commanding 41-24 advantage. The Tritons led by the same margin at the break, taking a 43-26 cushion into the locker room.
UCSD pushed the lead to 52-28 after scoring nine of the first 11 points of the second half and took its biggest lead of the game at 67-37 with 11:16 left to play. The Cougars trimmed the deficit to 22 with 3:33 left on the clock, but the Tritons scored the final eight points to lead by 30 again at the final horn.
UCSD, which has won its first five games by an average of 21 points, will face a true test in No. 4 Fort Lewis College on the final day of the Thanksgiving Classic on Saturday. Tip-off is slated for 7:00 p.m. at RIMAC Arena.
Fort Lewis defeated Cal State San Bernardino 72-52 in the first game of the day.
