IRVINE, Calif.— UC San Diego women's basketball dropped a 67-50 contest to UC Irvine on Tuesday evening in Bren Events Center to fall to 0-2 in the season series with the Anteaters.
 
The Tritons (9-13, 6-7 Big West) were led by Sydney Brown who recorded her second 20-point game of the season, finishing with 21 points, eight rebounds and two steals. Brianna Claros added nine points for UC San Diego and Aishah Brown tallied a team-high nine rebounds and two blocked shots.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
The teams traded the lead to start the contest, with Claros hitting a three to give the Tritons the 7-6 lead with 6:27 to play in the opening quarter. The Anteaters (15-9, 10-3 Big West) then went on a 19-2 run to close out the period and take a 25-9 lead into the first quarter break.
 
UC San Diego opened the second period with five-straight points on baskets Emily Cangelosi and Claros, but UCI answered with a 5-0 run of its own. Back-to-back threes from Courtni Thompson and Sydney Brown cut the deficit to 32-20 with 3:25 to play and the Tritons held UCI to just two points in the closing minutes to make it 34-20 at halftime. 
 
The Tritons shot 24 percent (8-of-34) in the first half, compared to 39 percent (14-of-36) for the Anteaters. 
 
UC San Diego opened the second half with a 9-5 run to make it 29-39 with 4:09 to play in the third quarter. The Anteaters responded with a 14-2 run of their own to stall the Tritons' momentum and took a commanding 53-34 lead into the final quarter break.
 
The Tritons continued to battle in the final period, outscoring UC Irvine, 16-14, but it was not enough to overcome the large deficit.
 
UC San Diego shot 32 percent (20-of-63) in the contest with six threes, compared to 39 percent (27-of-69) and eight threes for the Anteaters. UC Irvine also held the advantage in rebounds 50-37. 
 
QUOTABLE
"Disappointed in the loss tonight," said head coach Heidi VanDerveer. "I thought we came out and had a really good start and then it seems—in this stretch of losses—each time we've had a four or five minute stretch that it just snowballs. We need people stepping up and as a whole I think we can do a better job of executing in those moments—getting defensive stops and then taking good shots. But I also think we're young in a lot of spots. It's a process and we know it and if we can keep learning and growing I think we'll be better for it."

TRITON TIDBITS

• Sydney Brown recorded her second 20-point game of the season, finishing with 21 points, eight rebounds and two steals.
• With the loss, UC San Diego fell to 1-9 in the all-time series against UC Irvine and 0-2 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 conclude a four-game road stretch at Hawai'i on Thursday at 9 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.