SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif.— UC San Diego outscored Cal Poly 30-6 from three-point range to outlast the Mustangs, 69-58, on Thursday evening in Mott Athletics Center.
 
Emily Cangelosi matched her career high with 16 points (7-of-14), adding eight rebounds and three assists for the Tritons (8-8, 5-2 Big West). Julia Macabuhay also reached double-figures with 10 points and Sydney Brown added nine points and a team-high nine rebounds. Bridget Mullings also chipped in a season-high eight boards and Brianna Claros led the team with four assists.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Mustangs (1-12, 0-4 Big West) jumped out to the early 4-0 lead to begin the contest, but the Tritons  battled back quickly with an 8-2 run to take the lead. The teams traded the lead for the remainder of the period before Claros knocked down a three as time expired to give the Tritons the 15-14 advantage at the end of the first quarter.
 
UC San Diego continued to extend its lead in the second quarter, putting together a 15-4 run midway through the period to lead 37-24. The Tritons shot 4-of-8 from three-point range in the quarter, outscoring the Mustangs 24-17 and took a 39-31 lead into the halftime break.
 
The Mustangs came out strong to start the second half but timely threes from Cangelosi and Baxter kept the lead for UC San Diego. A 7-0 run gave the Tritons a 10-point lead with 1:58 to play in the quarter and UC San Diego took a 58-50 lead into the final quarter break.
 
Cal Poly kept it a two-possession game up until the 3-minute mark of the final period, matching the Tritons shot for shot. UC San Diego then used a 6-point run, including 4-for-6 from the free-throw line, to close out the contest and secure the 69-58 victory.
 
QUOTABLE
"I'm very excited about our team's win on the road," said head coach Heidi VanDerveer. "It's a tough place to play, against a team that really battles every possession and plays really hard. I thought we had different people step up. People coming off the bench were ready to play, whether it was Courtni [Thompson] hitting a big three, or Izzy [Forsyth] hitting a big three. I thought this was Bridget's [Mullings] best game start to finish—she established herself as a dominant rebounder and did very well offensively. And then obviously we have people like Julia [Macabuhay], and Sydney [Brown] and Emily [Cangelosi] playing just as consistent as they can be. Again we found ways to win and I'm just very proud of our team's effort."
 
TRITON TIDBITS

• Emily Cangelosi matched her career high with 16 points on 7-of-14 shooting.
• UC San Diego made its mark beyond the arc, outscoring Cal Poly 30-6 from three-point range. Eight different Tritons scored from the perimeter. 
• The Tritons finished one shy of their lowest turnover total this season with 10.
• With the win, the Tritons improved to 2-2 in the all-time series with Cal Poly.
• UC San Diego's starters consisted of Madison Baxter, Sydney Brown, Emily Cangelosi, Brianna Claros and Bridget Mullings. 

UP NEXT
The Tritons will remain on the road to take on CSU Bakersfield on Saturday at 1 p.m. PT. The game will be broadcast on ESPN+ and live statistics will be available via UCSDTritons.com.
 
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 91 percent, one of the highest rates among institutions at all divisions. For more information on the Tritons, visit UCSDtritons.com or follow UC San Diego Athletics on social media @UCSDtritons.