ROME – Friday marked our first game day of the trip with both teams seeing action Friday evening at the Stella Azzurra Basketball Academy. More on the games below. But first, we began our day with a guided tour of the Vatican.
 
The teams learned about the nation-state's history, capped off with a visit to the famed Sistine Chapel and the Basilica di San Pietro. Then it was back to the hotels for pregame meals before it was time to hoop.
 
Prior to the games, many UC alumni met for a Triton tailgate reception in Rome, with Athletics Director Earl W. Edwards and men's head coach Eric Olen addressing the group. After each game, the Tritons had a meet-and-greet with those in attendance.
 
Tomorrow, we'll load up the busses and head north, ending our day in Florence.
 
WOMEN'S BASKETBALL: UC San Diego 56, Spanish All-Stars 61
Team Spain led 14-8 after the first and opened the second quarter on a 14-2 spurt. Midway through the quarter, Katie Springs blocked a shot at the elbow and on the ensuing possession, Gabby Louther fed Emma Svoboda whose touch-pass led to a layup from Rosa Smith for a bucket in transition. The Tritons closed the half on an 11-1 run, with Smith knocking down a three just before time expired. Smith and Erin Condron paced UC San Diego with eight points apiece.
 
UC San Diego trailed by 17 midway through the second half, but strong defense and some clutch shooting helped bring the Tritons back to within striking distance, but ultimately time ran out.
 
Smith led all scorers with 14 and Sumayah Sugapong scored ten – all in the second half – for the Tritons.
 
"I thought it was a really good start for us, thought the scoreboard might not have indicated that," said head coach Heidi Vanderveer. "We have a lot of young kids and we knew our givens but we need some of the others to understand what it takes to play at this level. I thought Sumayah and Erin really established themselves – they're so savvy. We need to get better – and we will. We came on an international trip playing against a team that's been playing together for a while. We haven't, and that showed tonight."
 
The Tritons will next face Breidablik Iceland on Sunday night at 8 p.m. CEST (11 a.m. PDT Sunday) in Florence.
 

MEN'S BASKETBALL: UC San Diego 91, Stella Azzura 51
The Tritons came out firing, knocking down shots from distance and playing a suffocating defense against host Stella Azzurra. Tyler McGhie scored eight in the first quarter as UC San Diego built a 27-11 lead through the first ten minutes.
 
UC San Diego kept up the defensive pressure in the second quarter, leading to transition baskets the other way. Aniwaniwa Tait-Jones came away with the steal and finished on the other end moments later with a thunderous dunk. McGhie paced all scorers with 14 first half points and the Tritons led 50-27 at the break.
 
UC San Diego built a 70-33 lead through three and rolled to the 40-point win. Three Tritons scored in double figures, paced by 20 from Bryce Pope. Tait-Jones and McGhie finished with 16 each.
 
"It was a warm environment in here and that didn't slow us down at all," said head coach Eric Olen. "We saw a lot of good things from a number of guys. There were certainly some things that we can clean up, but overall, I was really pleased with performance to kick off our tour and we're excited for the rest of it."
 
The Tritons will next face Orange Basket Bassano on Sunday evening at 5:30 p.m. CEST (8:30 a.m. PDT Sunday) in Florence.
 

--
 
Throughout the week, we are bringing you behind-the-scenes with photos and videos both on UCSDTritons.com and on the teams' social media channels at @ucsdmbb and @ucsdwbb. Support UC San Diego Basketball! Make your gift today to the UCSD Crowdsurf site to help fund our travels. The link will be available through Sept. 1.
 
Note: Central European Summer Time (CEST) is nine hours ahead of Pacific Daylight Time (PDT) in San Diego
 
PREVIOUS TRITONS IN ITALY POSTS
We're Off to Italy! (Aug. 15)
Day One: Arriving in Rome (Aug. 16)
Day Two: Roman Adventures (Aug. 17)
 
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.