LA JOLLA, Calif. - The UC San Diego women's basketball team fell to the Academy of Art, 84-74, on Saturday in the first day of the UCSD Thanksgiving Classic at RIMAC Arena.
After trailing by only three points at half time, UCSD (1-3) was outscored by Academy of Art (5-1), 40-47, in the second half as the Urban Knights shot 50 percent (12-24) from the field during the period.
The Tritons and Academy of Art went back and forth in the first half as there were a total of 11 ties and five lead changes between the two schools. With 1:20 left in the period, Farrah Shokoor hit a jump shot to tie the game, 34-34, but on the very next posession, Zoie Sheng hit a three point shot to give the Urban Knights a 37-34 lead going into halftime.
UCSD would fight back in the second half and with 13:47 left in the stanza, Miranda Seto would find Nadja Kern for a mid-range jumpshot to give the Tritons a 48-47 lead. However, Academy of Art would use a 9-0 run in the next two minutes to give the Urban Knights a 56-48 lead and never look back.
The Tritons narrowed the gap to a three point margin, 73-70, after Dana Webster hit a three-point shot with 1:42 left in the game. Krystal Forthan would make a layup on the ensuing Urban Knight posession to put the game out-of-reach for UCSD.
The Tritons shot 36.5 percent (27-74) from the floor and 22.2 percent (6-27) from behind the arc for the game.
"I think our defense let us down a little bit," said UCSD head coach Heidi VanDerveer. "We put them on the free throw line, I think 44 times, and anytime you do that you're really battling from behind. One of our goals is to be in the bonus first. If we limit our fouls, we're right there."
Shokoor nabbed her second double-double on the season with 21 points and a game-high 19 rebounds. Seto contributed for 15 points.
Forthan and Sheng lead the Urban Knights with 22 and 20 points, respectively.
In the first game of the Thanksgiving Classic, Cal State San Bernardino narrowly defeated Azusa Pacific, 61-60. Brianna Harden and Chelsea Austin led the way for the Coyotes with 13 points each. Kelly Hardeman and Miriam Zabinsky each recorded a double-double in a losing effort for the Cougars as Hardeman had 26 points and 11 boards and Zabinsky scored 12 points and 12 rebounds.
The UCSD Thanksgiving Classic concludes on Saturday with Cal State San Bernardino taking on Academy of Art at 1 p.m. and UCSD matching up against Azusa Pacific at 3 p.m. at RIMAC Arena.
