CHICO, Calif. — When the going gets tough, the tough get going.
Senior guard Taylor Tanita made three of her game-high four 3-pointers in the fourth quarter to lift the University of California San Diego women's basketball team to a road victory over Chico State, 67-55, on Thursday evening.
Tanita finished with 12 points for UC San Diego (22-3, 18-1 CCAA), which once again showed its resiliency late in a game.
The contest was tight through three quarters as both teams exchanged leads, and Chico State held a slim 45-42 advantage heading into the fourth.
But the Tritons took over from there, outscoring the Wildcats 25-10 in the game's final period to earn their 16th double-digit victory of the season.
“We had a lot of energy in the first quarter, hit a little lull in the second and third, but made plays in the fourth quarter to secure the victory,” said UC San Diego head coach Heidi VanDerveer. “(Tanita) made some big shots. It was a very good team win.”
UC San Diego has now won 18 of its last 19 games, including five-straight against Chico State (13-10, 11-8). The Tritons have already clinched the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) regular-season championship and No. 1 seed in the CCAA tournament beginning Feb. 27.
Junior Kayla Sato scored a team-high 16 points with six rebounds, while senior Dalayna Sampton and sophomore Mikayla Williams each recorded their 11th double-double of the season. Sampton finished with 15 points and 10 rebounds, while Williams, the reigning CCAA Player of the Week, scored 12 points with 12 rebounds.
Kayla Taylor scored 18 points with 10 rebounds to lead Chico State, which was out-rebounded by the Tritons, 40-30, and held to just 36 percent shooting from the field. UC San Diego entered the game ranked third in the nation in rebound margin, dominating its opponents by an average of 10.9 rebounds per game.
Tanita began the fourth quarter by sinking a 3-pointer to tie the score, and made another three two minutes later to put the Tritons ahead, 52-48, with 7:20 remaining.
After Chico State responded to take a one-point lead, Tanita hit her third 3-pointer of the quarter to put UC San Diego ahead 55-53 with 5:46 left. A layup by Sampton off an assist from Tanita with 46 seconds left pushed the Tritons lead to eight and essentially sealed the victory.
UC San Diego continues its road trip on Saturday, when the Tritons take on Humboldt State beginning at 5:30 p.m.
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