DAVIS, Calif.— UC San Diego women's basketball fell to UC Davis, 51-42, on Thursday evening at University Credit Union Center to split the season series with the Aggies. 
 
The Tritons (9-11, 6-5 Big West) were led by Julia Macabuhay with 13 points, while Madison Baxter and Sydney Brown finished with 12 points each. Brown and Emily Cangelosi led UC San Diego with six rebounds each, while Brianna Claros tallied three assists and Parker Montgomery had a team-high three steals.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Aggies (10-9, 4-5 Big West) jumped out to an early 9-0 lead in the opening quarter, with the Tritons missing their first eight shots. Bridget Mullings ended the drought with 2:57 on clock to put UC San Diego on the board but UCD took a 12-2 lead into the first quarter break.
 
UC San Diego found its offensive rhythm in the second period, opening the quarter with a 5-0 run. The Aggies answered with a 9-3 run to build their largest lead of the first half, 21-10. With 4:25 remaining in the quarter, the Tritons put together a 9-0 run to pull within two points at 21-23. However, UC Davis put up four straight points in the final minute to take a 27-21 lead into the halftime break.
 
After the slow start, the Tritons shot 44 percent in the second quarter, including 4-of-6 from beyond the arc.
 
 The Tritons cut the lead to three to open the third quarter, but the Aggies answered with a six point run to lead 36-27 with 4:12 on the clock. Julia Macabuhay hit back-to-back jumpers in the closing minutes, but the Tritons still trailed 36-31 at the end of the third quarter.
 
UC San Diego used a 9-2 run midway through the final quarter to cut the deficit to two at 40-42 with 2:54 to play. UC Davis then got nine consecutive points from Cierra Hall in the final minutes to effectively end the comeback, winning with a final score of 51-42. 

QUOTABLE
"Obviously, we're disappointed," said head coach Heidi VanDerveer. "I thought we battled, just didn't quite make enough plays—early specifically. Their pace and tempo—we can play at that pace and tempo, but we have to play at our strengths at that pace and tempo. And then throughout the game I thought we battled back, our defense was very solid. However, we gave up too many o-boards and then just missed shots. I thought we got some good shots, we just need people stepping up and having confidence and knocking them down. I think the separation tonight was the o-boards and our shooting percentage. But I'm proud of our team, I thought we battled and just couldn't quite finish."

TRITON TIDBITS

• Julia Macabuhay finished 4-for-12 from the field and 4-for-4 from the free throw line to lead the Tritons with 13 points. 
• Madison Baxter knocked down 4-of-5 from beyond the arc, matching her highest total this season.
• The Tritons were held to their lowest first quarter point total (2) of the season, shooting 1-of-13 in the opening period. 
• With the loss, the Tritons move to 4-15 in the all-time series with UC Davis and 1-1 in the series this season.
• UC San Diego's starters consisted of Madison Baxter, Sydney Brown, Emily Cangelosi, Brianna Claros and Aishah Brown. 

UP NEXT
The Tritons will continue their four-game road stretch—the longest of the season—traveling south to face UC Riverside on Saturday at 6 pm 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.