SAN MARCOS, Calif. - The 17th-ranked University of California San Diego women's basketball team got its 2016-17 campaign officially underway with an 88-60 win over Montana State Billings in one of two games at the San Marcos Classic, Friday at The Sports Center on the campus of Cal State San Marcos.
UC San Diego starts the new season with a 1-0 overall record. MSUB drops to 0-1.
“We're very excited about our win,” said head coach Heidi VanDerveer. “It was a tremendous team effort.”
The Tritons had five players score in double digits, led by junior forward Dalayna Sampton who had 18 points on 72.7 percent (8-11) shooting to go along with seven rebounds. Sophomore guard Joleen Yang pitched in 11 and senior forward Cassie MacLeod, redshirt freshman forward Mikayla Williams and senior guard Beth Mounier all had 10 points each. Mounier also had seven rebounds and seven assists. Junior guard Taylor Tanita scored eight points and dished out eight assists.
“Both Beth (Mounier) and Taylor (Tanita) did an excellent job for setting the tone for our team. Dalayna Sampton established herself inside and Mikayla Williams gave us a lot of energy off the bench. I think the depth of our team will set us apart from others,” said VanDerveer.
Riley Kane led the Yellowjackets with 16 points and eight assists. Edwards had 13 points and Tiana Hanson walked away with a double-double, recording 10 points and 10 boards.
UCSD shot 50.7 percent (34-67) from the field, including 37.9 percent (11-29) from behind the arc, and limited MSUB to 33.9 percent (20-59) shooting, going 28.6 percent (4-14) on three-pointers. The Tritons outscored the Yellowjackets 32-14 inside the paint thanks to a 32-27 rebounding differential.
UCSD started hot and led by 10 points, 15-5, after a basket by Williams. MSUB answered back and made it a three-point game at the end of the first quarter, 20-17.
The Tritons pulled away in the second period, outscoring the Yellowjackets 25-8 in the frame. MSUB went 2-for-14 from the floor in the quarter. UCSD ended the first half with a 5-0 run, capped off by a trey from freshman guard Stephanie Moore as time expired. The Tritons led 45-25 at halftime.
UCSD nabbed a 25-point advantage, 52-27, after a layup from Yang with 6:17 remaining in the third quarter. The Yellowjackets finished out the period on a 17-5 run as the Tritons saw their lead cut to 13 points, 57-44, going into the final 10 minutes.
UCSD put the game away in the fourth, putting up 31 points thanks to six three-pointers in the frame. The Tritons grabbed their biggest lead of the game 88-58 with 43 seconds left after a layup from Moore.
UCSD will conclude the San Marcos Classic on Saturday, Nov. 12 with a game against No. 2 California Baptist at 5:30 p.m.
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