LA JOLLA, Calif. - The UC San Diego women's basketball team almost let a 17-point halftime lead slip away, but was able to get the victory against Cal State East Bay, 64-60, in a California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) matchup on Friday at RIMAC Arena.
With the win, the Tritons improve to 10-8 overall and 8-5 in the CCAA while CSUEB falls to 11-8 overall and 6-7 in the conference.
UCSD stumbled out of the gates and quickly faced a 7-0 deficit to start the game as the Pioneers got two layups from Remy Puou and a three-pointer from Stephanie Lopez.
The Tritons fought back and with 9:52 left in the half, tied the score 11-11 with two Farrah Shokoor free throws.
After CSUEB's Tori Breshers converted a layup, Miranda Seto made a three-point basket to give her team the lead at 14-13 and the Tritons led it the rest of the way.
UCSD closed out the half with an offensive onslaught, outscoring the Pioneers 26-10 to go into halftime with a 17-point advantage, 40-23.
As a team, the Tritons shot 57.1 percent (16-28) from the field and 55.6 percent (5-9) from behind the arc in the first period.
CSUEB came roaring back and cut the margin to 10 points, 46-36, off of a basket by Breshers with 12:43 left to play in the game. The Pioneers eventually made it a single-digit game, 55-47, with a LeAnne Willingham layup.
East Bay cut it to three, 60-57, after a Sharissa Estremera mid-range jump shot with only 22 seconds left in the game. The Pioneers quickly fouled and Jamie Katuna hit two key free throws as Breshers made a three-point basket on the next posession to make it a 62-60 game.
CSUEB fouled once again and Katuna made both of her free throws as the Tritons came away with the victory.
In the second half, the Tritons shot just 23.1 percent (6-26) from the floor and made only one of six three-pointers. They were outscored 37-24.
Seto, who got her first start in six games, scored 20 points on 55 percent (5-9) shooting and an impressive 80 percent (4-5) from three-point range. Shokoor grabbed a team-best eight rebounds and scored 11 points. Katuna added 15 points off the bench.
Breshers led the way for the Pioneers with a game-high 26 points and eight rebounds. Lopez added 13 points and seven boards.
Friday's attendance of 1,804 was the third-largest for a women's basketball game in RIMAC Arena history.
The Tritons hosts Cal State Monterey Bay on Saturday at 5:30 p.m. It is Staff Appreciation Night and any UCSD staff member will receive two free tickets.
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