SAN FRANCISCO - The 25th-ranked UC San Diego women's basketball team limited San Francisco State to just 12 points in the first half en route to a 93-34 win in a California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) matchup Thursday at The Swamp. It is the largest margin of victory for UCSD this season.
With the win, the Tritons improve to 11-2 overall and 6-1 in conference play. The Gators drop to 4-8 overall and 2-4 in CCAA games.
Four players from UCSD scored in double figures with senior guard Jamie Katuna leading the way with 16 points. Junior guards Haley Anderson and Beth Mounier each had 15 and senior forward Farrah Shokoor pitched in 14 to go along with 13 rebounds for her eighth double-double of the season.
Lauryn Catching paced San Francisco State with eight points. Kiara Ginwright, the NCAA leader in blocks per game, rejected six shots.
The Tritons shot 50 percent (30-60) from the field and 41.7 percent (10-24) from behind the arc while limiting the Gators to 18 percent (11-61) shooting from the field and 5.3 percent (1-19) from three-point land.
"I thought it was a tremendous team win," said head coach Heidi VanDerveer. "We came out and we were very sharp for 40 minutes."
UCSD opened up to an 11-3 advantage to begin the game, with Katuna scoring seven of those points. After a San Francisco State three-pointer, the Tritons closed out the opening quarter scoring 13 consecutive for a 24-6 lead.
A 14-2 run to begin the second quarter gave UCSD a 30-point cushion, 38-8. The Tritons increased their margin to 39 points, 49-10, after a Katuna layup. Felicia Villarruel knocked down two free throws for the Gators before the intermission as UCSD took a 49-12 lead into halftime.
After limiting San Francisco State to just 12 points in the first half, the Tritons allowed only 22 points in the second half, 13 in the third quarter and nine in the final period.
UCSD began the third frame with seven unanswered points, including five from Mounier, before a Gator basket stopped the run. The Tritons kept increasing the lead until it reached 61 points, 93-32, after two three-pointers from sophomore guard Abriana Conklin in the final minute. San Francisco State's Catching was able to hit a layup as time expired as UCSD prevailed.
The Tritons will have a day off before traveling to Cal State LA on Saturday, Jan. 9. Tip-off is scheduled for 5:30 p.m.
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