LA JOLLA, Calif. – UC San Diego senior guard
Madison Baxter scored a career high 19 points and four Tritons scored in double figures in an 81-61 victory over San José State on Friday night at RIMAC Arena.
The victory snapped a three-game losing streak for the Tritons (3-4). With the loss, the Spartans are 3-5 on the season.
HOW IT HAPPENED
San José State built an early 7-3 advantage, but the Tritons responded with a 10-0 run to take a 13-7 lead with 3:00 left in the first quarter. In all, UC San Diego closed the first quarter on a 13-2 run, taking a 16-9 lead after one quarter. UC San Diego's defense limited the Spartans to just one field goal in their last 13 tries in the period.
In the second quarter, the Tritons continued their torrid shooting. UC San Diego hit 7 of its first 8 field goal attempts in the quarter as the Tritons' lead ballooned to 38-16 with 3:11 left in the half.
The Tritons took a 44-19 lead at the half, out-shooting San José State, 52% to 21%. UC San Diego forced nine Spartan turnovers leading to 16 Tritons points.
Madison Baxter,
Sydney Brown, and
Alex Obouh Fegue all scored eight points to pace the home team.
Brown and
Emily Cangelosi each grabbed six rebounds for UC San Diego, as the Tritons posted a 25-15 advantage on the glass over the first 20 minutes.
UC San Diego hit just one of its final eight field goal tries in the third quarter and the Spartans drew to within 16 at 60-44 after three.
In the fourth quarter, the Tritons out-scored San José State 21-14 as the home team pulled away for the win.
Baxter finished with a personal best 19 points on 7-of-8 field goals. Obouh Fegue also scored a career-high 12 in the win.
TRITON TIDBITS
- UC San Diego's 20-point win marked the Tritons' largest margin of victory over a Division I opponent to date.
- The 81 points scored were the most scored by UC San Diego against a Division I opponent since the Tritons began their transition to Division I last season.
- Baxter's 19-point outburst was UC San Diego's highest individual point total of the season.
- The Tritons hit a season high 17 free throws in the win.
- This was the first-ever meeting between the Tritons and the Spartans.
UP NEXT
UC San Diego takes a break for final exams before returning to the court on Tuesday, December 14 to host California Baptist. The contest will mark the Tritons' annual Elementary School day with a Noon start on ESPN+. Admission will be free.
About UC San Diego Athletics
After two decades as one of the most successful programs in NCAA Division II, the UC San Diego intercollegiate athletics program has begun a new era as a member of the Big West Conference in NCAA Division I. The 23-sport Tritons earned 30 team and nearly 150 individual national championships during its time in Divisions II and III and helped guide 1,400 scholar-athletes to All-America honors. A total of 83 Tritons have earned Academic All-America honors, while 38 have garnered prestigious NCAA Post Graduate Scholarships. UC San Diego scholar-athletes exemplify the academic ideals of one of the world's preeminent institutions, graduating at an average rate of 90 percent, the highest rate among public institutions in Division I or II. For more information on the Tritons, visit UCSDtritons.com or follow UC San Diego Athletics on social media @UCSDtritons.
