LA JOLLA, Calif.—UC San Diego women's basketball fell to Cal Poly, 49-39, on Saturday afternoon in LionTree Arena. The Tritons (7-9, 3-2 Big West) came up just short in their second consecutive defensive battle, with neither team shooting over 35 percent in the contest.
Denali Pinto led the team with 11 points and two steals, while
Parker Montgomery added seven points and
Izzy Forsyth chipped in six. Forsyth collected a team-high six rebounds and three blocks, along with
Gracie Gallegos who tallied six boards and two blocks. Three Tritons finished with two assists apiece.
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Tritons got off to a slow start in the first quarter, falling behind 5-0 in the opening minutes. UC San Diego then put together a six-point scoring run to take the lead, 6-5, midway through the period. The Tritons struggled offensively in the period, shooting just 2-of-14 from the field and the Mustangs (8-8, 4-2 Big West) took a 14-6 lead into the first quarter break.
Both teams were scoreless through the first 3 minutes of the second period, before a Pinto three cut the deficit to five, 14-9. The Mustangs put together an eight-point scoring run—highlighted by six made free throws—to build their largest lead of the half, 22-9. Back-to-back threes by Pinto and Montgomery cut into the deficit once again but the Tritons were unable to pull any closer and Cal Poly took a 30-20 lead into halftime.
The teams traded baskets to open the second half before the Tritons put together a 5-0 scoring run—all by Pinto—to make it a four-point game, 33-29, with 4:04 on the clock. Cal Poly scored four unanswered to pull ahead, 37-29, but UC San Diego responded with a 4-0 run of its own to make it, 37-33, heading into the final period.
The Tritons knocked down four free throws early in the fourth quarter to extend an 8-0 run from the previous period to pull even, 37-37, with 5:57 to play. UC San Diego held the Mustangs to just one point through the first six minutes of the final period, but the Tritons were unable to find a rhythm on offense down the stretch. Cal Poly closed out the contest on a 12-2 scoring run to top the Tritons, 49-39.
TRITON TIDBITS
- Denali Pinto scored in double figures for the 10th time this season.
- Nine different Tritons scored in the contest.
- The Tritons held the advantage in points off turnovers (13-4) and second chance points (7-4), while Cal Poly had the edge in rebounds (38-26), bench points (13-9) and points in the paint (22-8).
- UC San Diego shot 28 percent (12-of-43) from the floor with four threes, while Cal Poly shot 35 percent (16-of-46) from the floor with two threes.
- UC San Diego starters were Izzy Forsyth, Parker Montgomery, Denali Pinto, Katie Springs and Sumayah Sugapong.
- The Tritons are now 5-3 (5-2 in D-I) in the all-time series with Cal Poly.
UP NEXT
The Tritons will host UC Irvine on Thursday, Jan. 18 for Blue & Gold Night before traveling to Hawai'i on Saturday, Jan. 20. The games will be broadcast on ESPN+ and 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.
