FLORENCE, Italy – Game day number two of our Italy trip highlighted our first full day in Florence.  Sunday morning consisted of a walking tour around Florence. We crossed Ponte Vecchio, saw the beautiful duomo and made our way over to the Galleria dell'Accademia where our guides told us all about Michelangelo's David sculpture and other famous sculptures we have only read about.
 
We came back to our hotels and enjoyed pregame meal before loading up the busses and heading north. Our games took place at Palazzetto dello Sport in the community of Ponte Buggianese.
 
Tomorrow, we drive to Bologna for a guided bike tour on our way to Milan. Here's what happened on the court Sunday evening:
 
MEN'S BASKETBALL: UC San Diego 104, Orange Basket Bassano 69 (photos)
Both teams were hitting shots early – including a pair of three-pointers from Francis Nwaokorie – and the games was tied at 21-21 after the first quarter. The Tritons tightened up their defense and took a 48-38 lead into halftime.
 
In the second half, the Tritons stretched their lead. A 29-point third quarter for the visitors gave UC San Diego a 77-52 lead entering the final ten minutes. In the fourth, a three-pointer from Aidan Burke pushed the Tritons over the century mark.
 
Associate head coach Clint Allard coached the game for UC San Diego. "I thought we did a good job of sustaining our defensive intensity for the entire game," Allard said. "We knew that if we could maintain our pace and that intensity then they'd wear down in the second half, and that's what happened. It was good to see contributions from the new players. They've been buying in to the team concept and trying to do things the right way."
 
The Tritons' final game of the tour will be against Brescia Basket – a team in Italy's top division – on Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. CEST in Brescia.
 
WOMEN'S BASKETBALL: UC San Diego 85, Breidablik Iceland 38 (photos)
The Tritons used ball pressure to force Iceland into several early turnovers, helping UC San Diego to a 16-8 lead through the first quarter. With three minutes to play in the second, Sumayah Sugapong fed Parker Montgomery with a pretty bounce pass through the lane. Montgomery's driving layup pushed the lead into double digits for the first time. Back-to-back three-pointers from Rosa Smith and Izzy Forsyth pushed UC San Diego's advantage to 39-23 at halftime.
 
The Tritons were hot from beyond the arc in the third, with a couple of treys from Grace Talbot and (the second on a nice kick-out by Damilola Sule) as UC San Diego built a commanding 64-32 lead. Talbot had more points in the quarter (12) than the Triton defense allowed (nine).
 
"I think we took a giant leap today," said UC San Diego head coach Heidi VanDerveer. "Friday was really hard. We'd just traveled halfway around the world, we'd just conquered Rome and we didn't have our legs…but no excuses – we competed, but we weren't great. Today I thought we put a lot of things together. We're playing so many young kids, and I thought they did really well. This has been a great trip for our development and I hope it pays off come November."
 
UC San Diego wraps up play in Italy on Tuesday night at 6 p.m. CEST against Basket Costa.
 

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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)
Day Three: Game Day in Rome (Aug. 18)
Day Four: On the Way to Florence Via Siena (Aug. 19)
 
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.