LOS ANGELES - With only a few seconds remaining, Farrah Shokoor's layup attempt barely rimmed out as the UC San Diego women's basketball team fell to host Cal State L.A. by a narrow 65-63 margin in a California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) matchup on Friday at the Eagles Nest.
With the loss, the Tritons' five-game winning streak comes to an end, as they drop to 6-3 in the CCAA and 8-6 overall. The Golden Eagles improve to 5-4 in the conference and 6-7 overall.
UCSD could not contain CSULA along the perimeter in the beginning, as the Golden Eagles shot 64 percent (9-14) from three-point range in the first half.
Shokoor and Dana Webster got things started for the Tritons, the duo combining for the first nine points and an early 9-6 advantage. CSULA would answer back with a 13-0 run, which included three shots from downtown, to lead UCSD by double digits, 19-9.
UCSD would go on an onslaught of its own to tie the game, 26-26, as Webster layed it up on the tail end of a 17-7 run. The Golden Eagles hit three more baskets from behind the arc before the end of the first stanza, and the Tritons trailed 35-31 at halftime.
The Tritons started the second half strong as UCSD came out of the locker room on a 9-3 run which included two three-point baskets from Jamie Katuna and Beth Mounier to lead CSULA, 40-38.
Franeka Hall nailed the 10th CSULA three-point basket as the Golden Eagles regained the advantage, 45-44, with 15:57 left in the game. Webster would hit a pair of free throws as the Tritons took back the lead, 47-46. It would be the last time UCSD had the upper hand for the rest of the night.
However, CSULA could not pull away. With 3:42 remaining, Geena Greene converted a layup to give the Golden Eagles a seven-point advantage, 65-58, but UCSD would go on a 5-0 run through a pair of layups from Shokoor and Webster to trail by just two, 65-63.
Shokoor's tying layup attempt swirled around the rim and came off, as the Tritons fell to CSULA by the narrow two-point margin.
"I thought that Cal State L.A. came out with greater energy than us, more urgency than us," said UCSD head coach Heidi VanDerveer. "It is something that doesn't happen to us very often. Hopefully, it's a blip, and not something that we can expect. We just didn't get it done tonight."
CSULA's scoring attack was led by Hall, who had 16 points. The Golden Eagles shot 57.9 percent (11-19) from behind the arc.
Webster, who earned her first start of the season, collected her third double-double, all coming as a senior, as she posted career bests of 20 points and 16 rebounds. Thirteen of those boards came on the offensive end. Shokoor also compiled a double-double with 11 points and 16 rebounds.
UCSD will next play on Saturday, Jan. 17 at Cal State Dominguez Hills. Tip-off at the Torodome in Carson is at 5:30 p.m.
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