AZUSA, Calif. - The 21st-ranked and fourth-seeded UC San Diego women's basketball team trailed by as much as 14 points, but were able to recover and knock out 13th-ranked, top-seeded host Azusa Pacific, 87-77, in the NCAA West Regional semifinal Saturday at Felix Event Center.
With the win, the Tritons improve their overall record to 26-4. The Cougars end their season at 28-4.
Senior forward Farrah Shokoor collected her 19th double-double with 25 points on 58.3 percent (7-12) shooting and 10 rebounds, both game-highs. Senior guard Jamie Katuna scored 22 points, including going a perfect 10-10 on free throws. Junior guard Beth Mounier had 13 points, aided by two treys, seven rebounds and a team-best four assists. Sophomore guard Taylor Tanita pitched in 12 points on four three-pointers.
APU was led by the duo of Pacific West Conference Player of the Year Kelly Hardeman and Cydnie Jones who poured in 24 and 22 points, respectively.
As a team, the Tritons shot 44.1 percent (26-59) from the floor, 47.6 percent (10-21) from behind the arc and 83.3 percent (25-30) from the charity stripe. The Cougars were limited to 41.5 percent (27-65) shooting, 29.4 percent (5-17) from three and 66.7 percent (18-27) from the free throw line. UCSD won the rebounding battle, 40-36, and outscored APU 17-10 on turnovers and 14-2 on fast break points.
The Tritons started off slow and found themselves down by 14 points, 33-19, with 7:24 left in the second quarter. UCSD closed the gap to eight at halftime, 38-30, on Shokoor's successful layup and-one.
The Tritons took the lead from the Cougars and never trailed again with a 23-5 run in the first six minutes of the second half for a 53-43 advantage. UCSD outscored APU 35-18 in the third quarter to go up, 65-56, with 10 minutes remaining.
A mid-range jumper from junior forward Cassie MacLeod with with 5:20 left in the game gave the Tritons a 13-point cushion, 75-62. The Cougars were forced to foul down the stretch as the Tritons went 8-8 from the charity stripe to end the game.
UCSD will face second-seeded Alaska Anchorage for the NCAA West Regional crown and the right to go to the NCAA Elite Eight on Monday, March 14, at 7 p.m. The Tritons fell to the Seawolves, 76-72, in Alaska earlier this season.
#TritonsRising
