SAN DIEGO—UC San Diego women's basketball topped Boise State, 62-56, in a neutral contest to open the USD Winter Classic at the Jenny Craig Pavilion. The Tritons (4-6) went 4-of-5 from three in the final quarter to secure the victory over the Broncos (8-4) in their first-ever meeting.
 
Sumayah Sugapong recorded a career-high 22 points to lead all scorers, while Denali Pinto scored 12 and Gracie Gallegos added nine after going 3-for-4 from beyond the arc. Gallegos and Katie Springs collected a team-high six rebounds apiece, while Sugapong and Parker Montgomery collected four assists each. 
 
UC San Diego was tough on defense with three Tritons finishing with two steals, including Montgomery, Springs and Eri Blithikioti. Izzy Forsyth led the way with three blocks, while Gallegos and Springs collected two apiece. 
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
The teams got off to a slow start to open the contest, trading the lead for most of the first quarter with six ties. With the Tritons holding an 8-6 midway through the quarter, Boise State put together a mini 4-0 run to jump in front. UC San Diego pulled even two more times but the Broncos held the slight edge, 14-12, at the first quarter break. 
 
Sugapong came out strong for the Tritons to begin the second period, scoring six of UC San Diego's eight points to open the quarter. The Tritons put together an 8-3 run to take the lead, 20-17, with 6:31 on the clock. Boise State responded with a six-point run of its own to retake the lead, 23-20, with just over a minute to play. Erin Condron scored the only basket for either team in the final minute with a layup to make it a one-point game at the half.
 
Boise State extended a 12-2 run, scoring six unanswered to open the second half. The Broncos held a seven-point advantage as late as 3:35 in the period, 34-27. Sugapong then scored the final eight points of the quarter—including a four-point play in the final 10 seconds—to give the Tritons the lead, 35-34, at the final break.
 
UC San Diego used a pair of timely threes from Gallegos and Montgomery to extend its lead, 45-39, midway through the final period. The Broncos went on a five-point scoring run to pull within one, 45-44, with 3:59 to play. Back-to-back threes by Gallegos and Pinto gave the Tritons breathing room again and UC San Diego used an 11-3 run to build its largest lead of the contest, 56-47, with 0:45 on the clock. The Tritons sank six key free throws in the final minute and secured the 62-56 victory.
 
QUOTABLE
"Obviously excited for our win tonight against a very good Boise State team," said UC San Diego head coach Heidi VanDerveer. "I thought that our team—through the exam break last week—worked very hard to improve ourselves. We spend a lot of time prepping for other teams, but we have a lot of young players that got a taste for what it takes to work for a win. So, I'm excited for the win but also understanding the work that people put in. We had a lot of young players step up—Sumayah [Sugapong] with her court presence, Eri [Blithikioti] with her ability to play with the ball and without the ball, Erin [Condron] gave us good minutes, Gracie [Gallegos] came in and hit big shots in critical minutes. And they were steadied by Denali [Pinto], Izzy [Forsyth] and Parker [Montgomery] who just kept our boat steady the whole week and did so tonight as well."
 
"I'm just very excited about the way our team responded to some adversity and put together a solid defensive effort, made plays when we needed to, trusted each other, and stayed with each other. I think that we took a big growth step tonight." 

TRITON TIDBITS

• True freshman Sumayah Sugapong recorded a career high with her first 20-point performance as a Triton. 
• The Tritons held the advantage in points off turnovers (11-5) and bench points (21-4), while the Broncos had the edge in rebounds (42-31), points in the paint (26-20) and fast break points (11-8). The teams were even in second chance points (6-6).
• UC San Diego's nine blocked shots are the most against a Division I opponent and most since the Tritons recorded 11 against Westcliff (NAIA) on Nov. 17, 2021.
• The Tritons finish 2-1 against the Mountain West, earning a victory over San Diego State earlier this season.
• UC San Diego starters were Eri Blithikioti, Izzy Forsyth, Parker Montgomery, Denali Pinto and Sumayah Sugapong.

 UP NEXT 
UC San Diego will play its second neutral contest of the week, taking on Montana on Thursday in the Jenny Craig Pavilion at 2 p.m. The game will be broadcast on ESPN+ with 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 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.