AZUSA, Calif. - The 21st-ranked and fourth-seeded UC San Diego women's basketball team's season came to a close with a 72-57 loss to No. 4 Alaska Anchorage, the second seed, in the NCAA West Regional title game, Monday at Felix Event Center on the campus of Azusa Pacific.
After trailing by six at halftime, UCSD was outscored 18-9 in a pivotal third quarter. The Tritons committed six turnovers and were limited to a dismal field-goal percentage of 28.6 percent (4-14) in the period. UAA opened up to 55-40 lead with 10 minutes left.
The Seawolves grabbed their largest lead of the contest, 23 points, with 2:26 remaining in the game. UCSD finished the game strong with eight consecutive and fell by 15 points.
The Tritons conclude the 2015-16 campaign with a 26-5 overall record, one win shy of the program record set in 2006-07. UCSD's defeats came to three teams, all West Regional participants, losing to UAA twice, Cal State Dominguez Hills twice, and Cal State East Bay. The Seawolves move on to the Elite Eight in Sioux Falls, S.D. with a 36-2 record.
Senior guard Jamie Katuna was the game's top scorer with 20 points on 50 percent (8-16) shooting, including going a perfect 4-4 from three-point range. Junior guard Beth Mounier and junior forward Cassie MacLeod were the only other Tritons in double figures with 14 and 10 points, respectively. Senior forward Farrah Shokoor had eight points. UAA utilized a deep bench and had 12 players log minutes. The Seawolf bench outscored the Triton bench 29-10. Alysha Devine, Jessica Madison and Keiahnna Engel put up 14, 13 and 13 points, respectively for UAA.
As a team, UCSD was outrebounded 45-19 and gave up 15 offensive rebounds. The Tritons shot 41.4 percent (24-58) from the floor and 36 percent (9-25) from behind the arc. UCSD was limited to just one free throw attempt that did not go in. The Seawolves were accurate, shooting 48.2 percent (27-56) from the field, 52.9 percent (9-17) from three and 90 percent (9-10) at the charity stripe. The Tritons did win the turnover battle 21-15.
UCSD led 16-15 after the first quarter, getting all of its points from the duo of Katuna and Shokoor. Katuna had 12 points, aided by two treys, and Shokoor pitched in four.
UAA went on a 13-4 run in the middle of the second period to take a 31-23 advantage. The Tritons were able to tie the game, 31-31, with three-pointers from Mounier and sophomore guard Taylor Tanita, and a layup from MacLeod. The Seawolves closed the quarter with six unanswered points to take a 37-31 lead at halftime.
For their efforts, Shokoor and Katuna were named to the West Regional All-Tournament Team. Katuna averaged 19.0 points, 5.0 rebounds and 4.0 assists in three games. Shokoor averaged 16.7 points and 9.3 boards.
Head coach Heidi VanDerveer will bring back 12 out of 14 players on her roster, losing only Shokoor and Katuna, in 2016-17. Mounier and Tanita, who were second-team All-California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) honorees will return for UCSD.
NCAA West Regional All-Tournament Team
Kelly Hardeman (Azusa Pacific)
Cassidy Mihalko (California Baptist)
Jamie Katuna (UC San Diego)
Farrah Shokoor (UC San Diego)
Jessica Madision (Alaska Anchorage)
MVP - Alysha Devine (Alaska Anchorage)
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