SAN DIEGO, Calif.—UC San Diego women's basketball earned the program's first Division I win over San Diego State, 77-71, in overtime on Tuesday evening at Viejas Arena. The Tritons (3-4) went 13-for-25 (52 percent) from three to defeat the Aztecs (4-3) for the first time since 2001.
 
For the fourth time this season, Sumayah Sugapong led the offense with 18 points—one shy of her career high. Denali Pinto got her second consecutive game with 17 points, while Izzy Forsyth and Rosa Smith both chipped in 10 points each. Katie Springs led the Tritons with 11 rebounds, while Eri Blithikioti collected four assists. Both Pinto and Parker Montgomery collected two steals in the contest.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Aztecs took an early 4-2 lead in the opening quarter and the teams traded the lead for most of the period. With the game knotted at 16-all, the Tritons closed out the final minute of the period with a 4-0 run to lead 20-16 at the first quarter break. UC San Diego went 4-of-7 (57 percent) from three-point range in the quarter, with four different Tritons hitting from beyond the arc.
 
The second quarter was more of the same with the teams trading baskets to a 25-23 Triton advantage with 6:35 on the clock. UC San Diego then went on a ten-point scoring run, sparked by eight points—including two threes—from Sugapong. The Tritons built the largest lead of the half, 35-23, midway through the period. UC San Diego held a double-digit lead as late as 2:45 but the Aztecs closed out the half with a 5-0 run to make it 39-34, Tritons, at the halftime break.
 
The teams traded buckets to open the second half, with the Tritons maintaining an eight-point lead at the midway point, 53-45. San Diego State then put together an 11-0 scoring run to take the lead for the first time since 2:20 in the opening quarter. UC San Diego went cold from the floor, missing its final seven shots from the field and the Aztecs took a 56-54 lead into the quarter break.
 
After an opening jumper by the Aztecs to begin the fourth quarter, the Tritons went on a six-point scoring run to retake the lead, 60-58. UC San Diego extended its lead back to four with a three from Pinto midway through the period before SDSU put together an eight-point scoring run to jump in front, 69-65. The Tritons put up back-to-back layups to pull even, 69-69, with 1:21 to play and held the Aztecs off the board to force overtime for the second time this season.
 
It was all Tritons in the final quarter, putting together an 8-0 scoring run and holding San Diego State scoreless through 4 minutes and 52 seconds of overtime play. The Aztecs got their first points of the period with eight seconds on the clock and the Tritons secured the 77-71 victory. 

The Tritons earn their first Division I win over San Diego State! ??#GoTritons pic.twitter.com/Ao27NjFR9S

— UC San Diego WBB (@UCSDwbb) November 29, 2023

QUOTABLE
"Very excited about our win tonight," said UC San Diego head coach Heidi VanDerveer. "People came focused and executed. They played with a lot of energy and effort, and that's all we ask. When we do, we'll win our share of games. We've talked about it a lot, we've struggled with it and I thought today we put it together. 
 
"I'm super proud of our team, very happy for our staff and very happy for our program. We talk about legacy a lot and they upheld the legacy today. Hopefully they learned and we've got to replicate that every day."
 
TRITON TIDBITS

• Izzy Forsyth, Denali Pinto, Rosa Smith and Sumayah Sugapong scored in double-figures. 
• Katie Springs reached double-figure rebounds for the fifth time this season. 
• Parker Montgomery matched her career-high with seven boards.
• UC San Diego sank 13 three pointers—the most of the season and most since Feb. 4, 2023 at Cal State Bakersfield (16).
• The Tritons held the advantage in bench points (27-10) and second chance points (4-3), while San Diego State had the edge in rebounds (38-36), points off turnovers (15-6) and points in the paint (36-22).
• UC San Diego is 1-1 in overtime games this season.
• With the win, the Tritons move to 3-7 in the all-time series with San Diego State and 1-2 in the Division I era. 
  • UC San Diego's last victory over SDSU came on Nov. 23, 2001 (63-59).
• UC San Diego starters were Izzy Forsyth, Parker Montgomery, Rosa Smith, Katie Springs and Sumayah Sugapong.

 
UP NEXT
The Tritons will continue a stretch of six games on the road, traveling to face Fresno State on Saturday at 7 p.m. The game will be streamed on the Mountain West Network with live statistics 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 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 84 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.