SAN BERNARDINO, Calif. – The 23rd-ranked UC San Diego women's basketball team escaped a late drive from Cal State San Bernardino with a 65-58 win in a California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) matchup Saturday at Coussoulis Arena. The Coyotes got as close as four points in the closing moments of the game after Tritons led by 14-points at the end of the first quarter.
UCSD improves to 18-3 overall and 13-2 in conference play. CSUSB drops to 10-10 overall and 7-8 in CCAA action.
Senior guard Jamie Katuna led the Tritons with a game-high 25 points. Senior forward Farrah Shokoor picked up her 12th double-double of the season with 14 points and a game-best 13 rebounds. Sophomore guard Taylor Tanita dished out a team-high five assists. Chelsea Barnes and Adriana Brodie paced the Coyote offense with 20 and 18 points, respectively.
UCSD came out of the gates hot and ran out to a 15-point lead, 23-8, after a Katuna three-pointer. Shokoor put away two free throws after a CSUSB trey as the Tritons led 25-11 after the first quarter.
UCSD grabbed its biggest lead of the game, 29-11, after consecutive baskets from sophomore guard Paige Song and sophomore forward Gigi Olelewe. From there, the Coyotes scored seven unanswered points to make it an 11-point game. UCSD went into halftime up 34-24.
The Coyotes cut the deficit to six, 40-34, in the third quarter. The Tritons ended the period on an 8-2 run to take a 48-36 advantage into the final frame.
CSUSB outscored UCSD 17-9 from the start of the quarter to cut the margin to four points with 1:27 left. The Tritons were able to sink key free throws down the stretch to win by seven, 65-58.
UCSD hosts Chico State on Friday, Feb. 12 and Stanislaus State on Saturday, Feb. 13 for their next contests. Both games are set to tip-off at 5:30 p.m.
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