LA JOLLA, Calif.–UC San Diego San Diego women's basketball defeated UC Riverside, 63-50, on Saturday afternoon in LionTree Arena. With the win, the Tritons (10-10, 7-3 Big West) split the season series with the Highlanders (4-16, 2-8 Big West).
 
Emily Cangelosi was red hot for the Tritons with a game-high 22 points, going 7-of-8 from the field—4-for-4 from three-point range—and 4-for-4 from the free-throw line. Parker Montgomery and Sydney Brown also turned in double-figure scoring efforts with 14 and 10 points respectively. Izzy Forsyth led the team with nine boards, while Brown added six and Bridget Mullings finished with five. Julia Macabuhay had a game-high five assists, while Cangelosi added four and Forsyth chipped in three. Brown and Montgomery also added three steals apiece for the Tritons.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Highlanders jumped out to an early 6-0 lead to begin the contest. The Tritons cut the deficit to two behind two three-pointers from Cangelosi, 8-6, with 5:42 to play in the quarter. UC San Diego closed out the period with a six-point run of its own to take the lead 14-12 into the first quarter break. 
 
The Tritons extended their scoring run to 16 unanswered with a 10-0 run to the begin the second quarter, building a 24-12 lead. UC San Diego extended its lead to as many as 14 and took a 35-24 lead into the halftime break.
 
The teams traded baskets for the majority of the third quarter, before Montgomery scored on back-to-back possessions to extend UC San Diego's lead, 49-33, with 2:50 left on the clock. The Tritons maintained a 16-point advantage down the stretch and took the 53-37 lead into the final quarter break. 
 
UC Riverside scored three quick points to open the fourth quarter, but Cangelosi knocked down her fourth three-pointer of the contest and Forsyth scored on a lay-up to give the Tritons their largest lead of the contest, 58-40. The Highlanders continued to pressure UC San Diego, but the Tritons made key free-throws down the stretch and cruised to the 63-50 victory.
 
TRITON TIDBITS

• Emily Cangelosi turned in her second 20+ scoring effort of the season and finished three points shy of her career high with 22.
• UC San Diego shot 50% from the field—a season high—hitting 22-of-44 and 6-of-13 (46.2%) from three-point range. The Tritons were also 13-of-14 (92.9%) from the free-throw line. 
  • UCR went 2-for-17 from three-point range and finished the day shooting 35.3% from the field.
• Points in the paint were even at 26 apiece, and UCR held the advantage off the bench 21-8.
• UC San Diego outrebounded the Highlanders, 37-23, and tallied 18 assists compared to eight for UCR.
• UC San Diego starters were Sydney Brown, Emily Cangelosi, Izzy Forsyth, Julia Macabuhay and Parker Montgomery. 

UP NEXT
UC San Diego will travel for a pair of road games next weekend, taking on Big West-leader UC Irvine on Thursday at 7 p.m. The Tritons will travel further north to face CSU Bakersfield on Saturday at 2 p.m. 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 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.