LA JOLLA, Calif.—In a contest that came down to the final minutes, UC San Diego women's basketball (7-10, 3-3 Big West) came up just short, falling 57-49 to UC Irvine (10-6, 4-2 Big West). With the loss, the Tritons moved to 1-6 in the Division I series with the Anteaters.
Sumayah Sugapong broke out for two scoring sprees in the first and fourth quarters amounting to a game-leading 19 points, as well as three assists.
Denali Pinto contributed another 10 points. Both also collected two steals each.
Izzy Forsyth grabbed a game-high eight rebounds, with Pinto and
Parker Montgomery racking up seven apiece.
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Tritons got started with a trademark Sugapong three-pointer that was quickly followed up by a tightly contested two-point netting. These five points were good enough to hold off the Anteaters for the first three minutes of the quarter.
Suffocating high court defense from UCI resulted in a trio of Triton turnovers and a scoring drought before Sugapong scored another two-pointer. Inseparable from this aggression, however, were fouls. By the end of the first quarter, the Anteaters committed seven personal fouls, resulting in five points from the line that gave the Tritons a 14-11 advantage heading into the second quarter.
UC San Diego's clinical defense proved auspicious as the Tritons held UC Irvine to 29 percent shooting from open play, including no converted three-pointers, in the first quarter.
The Anteater's tight defense continued into the second quarter, though to less effect. Back-to-back scoring possessions gave the Tritons an edge that quickly leveraged into a 9-0 run and a 23-13 lead.
A timeout simmered the game down as the two teams exchanged baskets for the four minutes remaining in the half which ended 33-26 in favor of the hosts.
Gracie Gallegos and
Emma Svoboda contributed five points each during this time. Consistency from the free throw line gave Pinto a team-leading 10 points heading into the locker room.
Rejuvenated, the Anteaters came out strong once again, forcing four turnovers by the third quarter's midpoint. Despite this and a four-minute scoring drought, the Tritons managed to hold onto the lead for all but two minutes of the quarter. A 44-39 scoreline set out a challenge for UC San Diego heading into the final 10 minutes.
UC Irvine's momentum flowed into the fourth quarter where it scored an unanswered six points, prompting a UC San Diego timeout. This proved to be the key to a late-game resurgence of Sugapong, who netted eight points in two minutes and put the Tritons within two possessions of the lead.
The sides exchanged more fouls than points as the game dwindled down, with each collecting six fouls. It was the Anteaters, however, who stayed disciplined enough on offense to claim the victory.
TRITON TIDBITS
- Sumayah Sugapong scored in double figures for the 13th time this season and Denali Pinto tallied her 11th game.
- Parker Montgomery's seven rebounds are a season-high for the senior guard.
- The Tritons held the advantage in rebounds (37-28) and second chance points (6-4). UCI had the edge in points off turnovers (26-9), bench points (21-9), points in the paint (30-10) and fast break points (13-5).
- UC San Diego shot 42 percent (18-of-43) from the floor with six threes, while UC Irvine shot 35 percent (20-of-57) from the floor with two threes. The Anteaters were 15-of-21 (71%) from the free throw line, compared to 7-of-11 (64%) for the Tritons.
- UC San Diego starters were Izzy Forsyth, Gracie Gallegos, Parker Montgomery, Denali Pinto and Sumayah Sugapong.
- Thursday was the annual Blue and Gold Rivalry night, with the first 500 students getting a UC San Diego belt bag.
- The Tritons are now 1-12 (1-6 in D-I) in the all-time series with UC Irvine.
UP NEXT
The Tritons will travel to Honolulu to take on Hawai'i on Saturday, Jan. 20 at 9 p.m. PT. The game 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.
