LA JOLLA, Calif. – Holding onto a three-point lead at the end of the third quarter, the 20th-ranked UC San Diego women's basketball team outscored Sonoma State 23-13 in the final 10 minutes of play to win by a score of 75-62 in a California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) matchup Saturday at RIMAC Arena.
The Tritons improve their conference mark to 18-2, identical with Cal State Dominguez Hills and Cal State East Bay for a three-way tie of the CCAA regular season crown. UCSD wins its ninth straight and improves its overall record improves to 23-3. The Tritons are now four-time regular season winners in the league, having won titles in 2008-09, 2009-10 and 2011-12. With the loss, the Seawolves are now 10-19 overall and 5-15 in conference play.
Senior forward Farrah Shokoor and senior guard Jamie Katuna were honored before the game as they played their last regular season home game. Shokoor recorded her 16th double-double with 25 points and 10 rebounds. Katuna pitched in 17 points. Junior forward Cassie MacLeod came off the bench and scored 11 points. Hannah Sourek had 18 points for Sonoma State.
As a team, the Tritons shot 51.8 percent (29-56) from the field and 40 percent (6-15) from behind the arc.
Sonoma State scored the first two buckets of the game to take a quick 4-0 lead. UCSD bounced back and took a 10-6 advantage after a three-pointer from Katuna. The Seawolves then went on a 13-4 run as the Tritons trailed 19-14 at the end of the opening quarter.
A jumper from Taylor Acosta gave Sonoma State a seven-point lead, 27-20, with 5:21 remaining before the intermission. UCSD outscored the Seawolves 15-4 to retake the lead and go into halftime up, 35-31.
The two teams went back-and-forth in the third period as the quarter featured five ties. With 11 seconds remaining and the score even at 49-49, Katuna was able to hit a layup while getting fouled. She would make the ensuing layup as the Tritons took a three-point advantage into the final frame.
UCSD scored nine unanswered to begin the fourth period, ignited by a layup from Shokoor, to take a 61-49 lead. The Tritons kept increasing their margin and got the biggest lead of the game, 73-56, after a Shokoor basket. UCSD cruised the rest of the way for the victory.
The Tritons claim the second seed in the CCAA Tournament and will host seventh-seeded Cal Poly Pomona in the first round on Tuesday, March 1 at 5:30 p.m. Winners of the four first round games advance to the semifinals at Stockton Arena on March 4. The championshp game will be contested on March 5 in Stockton.
Complete CCAA Tournament information is available on the tournament central page.
CCAA Tournament First Round
Tuesday, March 1
No. 8 Cal State LA at No. 1 Cal State Dominguez Hills (7 p.m.)
No. 7 Cal Poly Pomona at No. 2 UC San Diego (5:30 p.m.)
No. 6 Humboldt State at No. 3 Cal State East Bay (7 p.m.)
No. 5 Cal State San Bernardino at No. 4 Stanislaus State (7 p.m.)
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