HONOLULU— Julia Macabuhay tallied a season-high 20 points, including the game-winning shot to lead UC San Diego to a 62-60 victory over Hawai'i on Thursday night in Stan Sheriff Center.
With the win, the Tritons (10-13, 7-7 Big West) earned a sweep in the season series with the Rainbow Wahine (12-9, 8-3 Big West)—the current Big West leaders. Along with Macabuhay's 20 points,
Sydney Brown finished with her sixth double-double of the season with 11 points, 10 rebounds.
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Tritons got off to a hot start, opening the game on a 7-0 run. The teams traded points to a 14-8 UC San Diego advantage with 2:35 remaining in the first quarter. The Tritons then closed out the period with six-straight points to take a 20-8 lead into the first quarter break.
It was Hawai'i that opened the second quarter with a 6-0 run of its own to make it 20-14, holding the Tritons scoreless through the first three minutes of play. UC San Diego then went on a 9-point run sparked by four-straight points from
Aishah Brown and a three from
Izzy Forsyth to lead 29-14. The Rainbow Wahine closed out the quarter with a four-point run but the Tritons took a 29-18 lead into halftime.
UC San Diego shot 41 percent from the field compared to 19 percent for Hawai'i in the first half, outrebounding the Rainbow Wahine 26-16.
The teams battled back and forth to open the second half, Tritons went on a 6-1 run in the closing minutes of the period to build their largest lead of the contest, 46-30.
The final quarter proved to be a dramatic one, with Hawai'i rallying to outscore the Tritons, 28-16. After trailing the entire contest, the Rainbow Wahine pulled even with UC San Diego at 60-60 with just 26 seconds remaining.
On the Tritons' final possession, Macabuhay ran the clock down to five seconds before driving to the basket and scoring what would prove to be the game winner with 1.6 on the clock.
Emily Cangelosi tipped the inbound pass on the opposite end to
Bridget Mullings to secure the win for the Tritons, 62-60.
QUOTABLE
"Super proud of our team's determination, grit and resiliency tonight," said head coach
Heidi VanDerveer. "Sometimes we talk about it, but tonight we
were about it. I'm very proud of Julia [Macabuhay], she is a gamer. And I think that with the limited minutes throughout the year, she really just stepped up tonight and carried us. I thought Izzy [Forsyth] had a great game, I mean really up and down the roster. We traveled nine people, on the eighth day of a four-game road trip, and a losing streak, and I think we just showed great character. They stayed with each other and I think that is a great representation of a character win for us."
TRITON TIDBITS
- Julia Macabuhay recorded a season-best 20 points, adding two rebounds and two assists.
- Sydney Brown recorded her sixth double-double of the season, finishing with 11 points and 10 rebounds.
- UC San Diego was playing short-handed with just nine players suiting up for the Tritons and all players scored at least two points.
- With the win, UC San Diego snaps a five-game losing streak.
- The Tritons move to 2-0 in the all-time series against Hawai'i, sweeping the season series.
- UC San Diego's starters consisted of Madison Baxter, Sydney Brown, Emily Cangelosi, Julia Macabuhay and Aishah Brown.
UP NEXT
The Tritons will return to RIMAC Arena to host Long Beach State for their Black Lives Matter game on Feb. 24 at 7 p.m. PT. UC San Diego will then travel north to face Cal State Fullerton on Feb. 26 at 6 p.m. PT. The games 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.
