LA JOLLA, Calif.—UC San Diego women's basketball will begin its 2023-24 Big West schedule on Thursday at Cal State Bakersfield. The Tritons (4-7, 0-0 Big West) will take on the Roadrunners (3-6, 0-0 Big West) at 7 p.m.
 
The game will be broadcast on ESPN+ and live statistics will be available via UCSDTritons.com.
 
DETAILS
Game 12
UC San Diego (4-7) at Cal State Bakersfield (3-6)
Thursday, Dec. 28 | 7 p.m.
Icardo Center (3,497) | Bakersfield, Calif.
All-time series: 8-12 (4-2 in D-I)
Last meeting: UCSD 56, CSUB 42 (Feb. 4, 2023)
Watch on ESPN+ | Live Stats
 

ABOUT THE TRITONS	ABOUT CAL STATE BAKERSFIELD
Roster | Schedule | Stats	Roster | Schedule | Stats
Overall: 4-7	Overall: 3-6
22-23 Big West: 10-10	22-23 Big West: 3-17
Home: 2-3	Home: 2-1
Away: 1-3	Away: 1-4
Neutral: 1-1	Neutral: 0-1
vs. Ranked Opponents: 0-0	vs. Ranked Opponents: 0-0
Streak: L1	Streak: W1

UP NEXT
The Tritons will play host to UC Santa Barbara in their Big West home opener on Jan 4 at 7 p.m. and remain home to host Cal State Fullerton on Jan. 6 at 2 p.m. The games will be broadcast on ESPN+ and live statistics will be available via UCSDTritons.com.
 
LAST TIME OUT
UC San Diego split a pair of neutral games at the USD Winter Classic on the campus of the University of San Diego. The Tritons defeated Boise State, 62-56, before narrowly falling to Montana, 68-67, the following day to wrap up their nonconference schedule. For her performance, Sumayah Sugapong was named Big West Player of the Week and UCU Athlete of the Week.
 
UC San Diego 62, Boise State 56
Points: Sugapong (22); Pinto (12); Gallegos (9)
Rebounds: Gallegos, Springs (6); Pinto (5)
Assists: Montgomery, Sugapong (4); Springs (3)
Steals: Blithikioti, Montgomery, Springs (2)
Blocks: Forsyth (3); Gallegos, Springs (2)
 
UC San Diego 67, Montana 68
Points: Sugapong (25); Montgomery (13); Pinto (12)
Rebounds: Springs (11); Gallegos (6)
Assists: Sugapong (4); Gallegos, Montgomery, Springs (2)
Steals: Montgomery, Sugapong (2)
 
AWARDS
UCU Athlete of the Week (Dec. 26): Sumayah Sugapong
Big West Player of the Week (Dec. 25): Sumayah Sugapong
UCU Athlete of the Week (Dec. 4): Sumayah Sugapong
UCU Athlete of the Week (Nov. 27): Denali Pinto
 
SUGAPONG EARNS BIG WEST & UCU WEEKLY HONORS
Sumayah Sugapong earned her first Big West Player of the Week nod after back-to-back career games last week. The true freshman averaged 23.5 points per game and shot 40 percent from the field, finishing 13-of-17 from the free throw line. Sugapong collected a career-best 22 points in a 62-56 victory over Boise State, finishing 7-for-16 (.440) from the floor with four rebounds, four assists, a steal and a block. In Thursday's one-point loss to Montana, Sugapong bested her mark from the previous day, collecting 25 points and adding four assists, two rebounds and two steals. For her efforts she was also named UCU Athlete of the Week.
 
STACKING UP AGAINST THE BIG WEST
The Tritons currently rank third in the Big West in combined team rebounds (36.0 per game), fourth in offensive rebounds (11.3 per game) and first in rebounding margin (2.0). UC San Diego ranks fourth in offense, averaging of 65.7 points per game. The Tritons rank third in assists (14.09 per game) and blocked shots (3.45 per game), fourth in turnover margin (1.55) and third in assist/turnover ratio (0.91). 

• Sumayah Sugapong ranks fourth in scoring (15.8 ppg), eighth in free throw percentage (.738), 11th in field goal percentage (.424), 14th in three-pointers (1.4 per game) and 15th in assists (2.4 per game).
• Katie Springs ranks first in rebounding (9.1 rpg) and seventh in blocked shots (0.9 per game).
• Izzy Forsyth ranks fourth in field goal percentage (.512) and 22nd in scoring (10.5 ppg).
• Eri Blithikioti ranks 10th in assists (2.6 per game) and 12th in blocked shots (0.8 per game).
• Denali Pinto ranks 10th in three-pointers (1.7 per game) and 20th in scoring (10.6 ppg).
• Parker Montgomery ranks ninth in steals (1.7 per game).

EXPERIENCED ROSTER
UC San Diego returns seven Tritons from the 2022-23 squad, including starters Izzy Forsyth and Parker Montgomery. Forsyth was an All-Big West honorable mention a season ago, recognized alongside sophomore Junae Mahan (All-Freshman Team). The Tritons will have big shoes to fill after the graduation of Sydney Brown, Emily Cangelosi and Julia Macabuhay who started all games for UC San Diego a season ago. However, the Tritons will have good depth on their bench with a combined 4,040 minutes of Division I experience during the 2022-23 season.
 
FRESH FACES
The Tritons added a wealth of talent during the offseason, signing three incoming true freshmen and four transfer scholar-athletes for the 2023-24 season. La Jolla Country Day product Sumayah Sugapong (San Diego, Calif.) joins two international Tritons, Eri Blithikioti (Athens, Greece) and Erin Condron (Woodend, Victoria, Australia) to make up the freshman class. Gracie Gallegos (Denver, Colo.) will also see her first action as a Triton after redshirting the 2022-23 campaign. 
 
UC San Diego added four transfer students to its roster as well, including junior Meaali'i Amosa (Pepperdine), Rosa Smith (Idaho), Damilola Sule (UC Merced) and Emma Svoboda (Oklahoma).
 
TRITONS PICKED FIFTH IN PRESEASON POLL
UC San Diego was picked to finish tied for fifth in the 2023-24 Big West Preseason Coaches' Poll with 59 points. Hawai'i was picked to finish first with six of the 11 first-place votes (95 points). Defending Big West champion UC Irvine was picked to finish second with two first-place votes (88 points) and UC Davis rounded out the top three with three first-place votes (85 points).
 
UC Santa Barbara (65 points) was picked to finish fourth, followed by Cal State Fullerton (59) and UC San Diego (59) tied for fifth, Long Beach State (45), Cal Poly (42), Cal State Bakersfield (25), UC Riverside (24) and CSUN (18).
 
WINNING IN THE CLASSROOM
The Tritons excelled in the classroom in 2022-23 with three scholar-athletes earning College Sports Communicators (CSC) Academic All-District honors, including Izzy Forsyth. UC San Diego had six scholar-athletes named to the 2022-23 Big West Winter All-Academic Team, including Forsyth and Katie Springs. Additionally, 11 Tritons were named to the Big West Commissioner's Honor Roll with seven earning Highest Honors (3.51-4.00 GPA) including Forsyth, Springs, Gracie Gallegos, Gabby Louther and Denali Pinto. 
 
WHY THE TRITONS?
The Triton is described as the offspring of Poseidon and Amphitrite, a demigod of the sea with a lower part of the body like that of a fish. It is known as a mighty and fierce sea warrior. Given UC San Diego's close proximity to the Pacific Ocean and its connections with the world-famous Scripps Institution of Oceanography, the Triton became our mascot in 1964.
 
ON THE MOVE
After 20 seasons playing as an NCAA Division II team, the entire athletics program has begun a four-year transition to NCAA Division I, culminating in full DI status as a member of the Big West Conference for the 2024-25 academic year. At that time, all sports will be eligible for conference and NCAA postseason play.
 
WELCOME TO LIONTREE ARENA
Since it was established nearly three decades ago, the University of California San Diego's RIMAC (Recreation, Intramural and Athletic Complex) Arena has been home to countless athletic competitions, graduations, concerts and other events that are imprinted on the memories of thousands of UC San Diego alumni, students, friends and visitors.
 
In June of 2022, UC San Diego announced that RIMAC Arena has been named LionTree Arena in recognition of a $5 million gift for scholar-athletes from LionTree, an independent investment and merchant bank with expertise in technology, media and the digital economy. LionTree was founded by UC San Diego alumnus Aryeh B. Bourkoff, who also serves as the firm's CEO. LionTree's gift is the largest ever received by UC San Diego Athletics, establishing the LionTree Endowed Scholarship Fund to support scholar-athletes.

UC SAN DIEGO ON THE WORLDWIDE LEADER
Most UC San Diego home men's and women's basketball games, men's and women's soccer matches, men's and women's volleyball matches, baseball and softball games are broadcast live on ESPN+. For more information on where to watch UC San Diego women's basketball, visit UCSDTritons.com/live.

GAME DAY GOES DIGITAL
Triton fans now have a whole new way to access game day information, as game programs have gone digital! Fans can visit UCSDTritons.com from their smart phone or scan the QR code at the entrance to LionTree Arena for everything they need to know about each home game, including updated rosters, schedules, and stats for each team, as well as links to watch on ESPN+.

COVERING THE TRITONS
Media members wishing to cover a UC San Diego game in-person at LionTree Arena must notify a member of the Athletics Communication staff no later than 24 hours prior to the game. 

Following the conclusion of each home game, a video highlight melt and video postgame interviews will be made available for media members to download.
 
GET SOCIAL WITH UC SAN DIEGO WOMEN'S BASKETBALL
Keep up with the Tritons all season long on social media through Twitter and Instagram. The team's handle is @UCSDwbb.
 
FOR THE YOUNGER CROWD
Got some young Triton fans in your family? If they are eighth grade or under, check out the Junior Triton Club. Membership includes a free t-shirt, admission to over 100 UC San Diego home athletic events, and much more!

GEAR
For the latest Triton apparel and accessories, click here.
 
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.