LA JOLLA, Calif. – Throughout the summer, UC San Diego Athletics will be taking a look back at the greatest moments and accomplishments from the 2020-21 school year. Each week, a Throwback Thursday and Flashback Friday segment will be featured on UC San Diego Athletics' Instagram and Twitter accounts.
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On this week's Flashback Friday, UC San Diego Athletics is highlighting the women's basketball team's first-ever Division I win against Cal Poly on Jan. 2.
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In the heart of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Tritons had to wait longer than many teams to get their season underway. UC San Diego opened its first Division I season on December 21 against California Baptist, but that game was
halted at halftime due to COVID testing concerns involving the Lancers. The Tritons did open their season on Jan. 1 against Big West Conference foe Cal Poly, but never led as the Mustangs earned the New Years' Day win.
The next day, however, would be a different story in round two. Cal Poly ran out to a 13-6 lead to start the game, but junior
Sydney Brown led the Tritons on a 9-2 run to take a 15-12 lead after one quarter. In the second period, UC San Diego's defense locked down, limiting the Mustangs to just 11 points. The Tritons led 36-23 at halftime. In the third, Cal Poly shaved two points off of the deficit by sinking 11 free throws.
Brown scored 13 of UC San Diego's 18 points in the final quarter to secure the win. She finished with a career-high 31 points along with 14 rebounds.
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Brown had a terrific season for the Tritons. In the season's final game, the All-Big West Second Team selection hit a
three-pointer at the buzzer in overtime, lifting UC San Diego to a win at Cal State Fullerton on March 6.
Check out the UC San Diego Athletics' Instagram and Twitter accounts every Thursday and Friday this summer for more Throwback Thursday and Flashback Friday moments.
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 began a new era in 2020 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 earned 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 91 percent, one of the highest rates among institutions at all divisions.
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