LA JOLLA, Calif. - McKennan Bertsch scored 19 points on perfect shooting (8-8) as the UC San Diego women's basketball team led the game almost from wire to wire and cruised to a 73-56 victory against Cal State Monterey Bay in a California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) matchup on Saturday at RIMAC Arena.
With the victory the Tritons improve to 11-8 overall and 9-5 in the CCAA while the Otters drop to 4-15 overall and 2-13 in the conference.
UCSD quickly grabbed an 8-2 advantage after two Bertsch layups and a Haley Anderson three-pointer to start the game. The Tritons increased the margin to 18 after three consecutive three-point baskets, two coming from Beth Mounier and one from Jamie Katuna, to lead CSUMB 24-6.
The Otters cut into the deficit after a 7-1 run to make it a 25-13 game with 9:33 remaining in the first half. UCSD answered back and outscored CSUMB 22-10 for the remainder of the period.
With just a second remaining before halftime, Bertsch was able to get the offensive rebound and tip-in a Farrah Shokoor missed layup opportunity as the Tritons went into the locker room with a 47-23 lead.
UCSD grabbed the biggest lead in the game, 50-25, after an Anderson three-pointer to start the scoring in the new period. The Otters closed the gap to 18 points, 54-36, after a McKenna Hill jumper with 11:35 remaining in the game.
The margin was insurmountable for CSUMB as they did not get within 18 points of the Tritons for the remainder of the game until Victoria Dorn hit a three-pointer with two seconds left in the game.
As a team, UCSD shot 50 percent (27-54) from the field and an impressive 50 percent (9-18) from behind the arc. The Triton defense had a stellar night as they limited the Otters to just a 36.4 percent (24-66) clip.
Bertsch was the only UCSD player in double-figures with a game-best 19 points. With her performance, she raises her field goal percentage to 71.3 percent, the best in the CCAA. Bertsch is the only player shooting over 58 percent in the conference.
Shokoor contributed nine points and grabbed five boards.
Hill and Jenna Bandy led the way for the Otters with 18 and 10 points, respectively.
The Tritons will hit the road for their next game to take on Chico State on Friday, Feb. 6 at 5:30 p.m.
#TritonsRising
