LA JOLLA, Calif.—UC San Diego women's basketball fell to Arizona, 65-54, on Sunday afternoon in LionTree Arena. The Tritons (1-2) outscored the Wildcats (3-0), 23-11 in the fourth quarter but were unable to complete the comeback.
 
Parker Montgomery led the team with 14 points, while Kayanna Spriggs added 11 and Eri Blithikioti finished with eight. Spriggs led the Tritons with eight rebounds, including three offensive boards, and Nicki Polocheck and Montgomery tallied five apiece. Blithikioti collected three assists and two steals, Montgomery led the team with four steals and Spriggs collected three blocks and two steals.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Triton defense was strong to start the contest, holding Arizona to 0-9 from the field in the opening minutes. The teams battled to a 4-4 tie with 6:20 to play in the period. Arizona then put together a seven-point scoring run to create distance, 11-4. UC San Diego answered with an eight-point run of its own to take the lead, 12-11. The Wildcats closed out the quarter scoring 10 unanswered to lead, 21-12, at the first break.
 
Arizona extended its scoring run with eight points to begin the second quarter, 29-12. UC San Diego found a rhythm in the back half of the second period, outscoring Arizona, 8-2, down the stretch to make it 31-20 at halftime.
 
The Wildcats put together a 13-point scoring run to open the second half to lead, 46-22, midway through the quarter. The Tritons put together a seven-point scoring run in the late minutes of the third quarter, but Arizona took a 54-31 lead into the final quarter break. 
 
With the Wildcats leading, 60-36, early in the final quarter, UC San Diego continued to battle. A three by Sabrina Ma sparked a 11-point scoring run for the Tritons to close the gap, 60-47. Back-to-back layups by the Wildcats brought the lead back to 17, but UC San Diego continued to battle down the stretch. The Tritons scored five unanswered in the final minute and a half, but Arizona held on for the, 65-54, victory.
 
TRITON TIDBITS

• Parker Montgomery recorded her highest point total since Jan. 28, 2023 vs UC Riverside (14).
• UC San Diego had the advantage in bench points (29-23) and fast break points (15-14), while Arizona had the edge in points off of turnovers (24-21), points in the paint (34-24) and rebounds (38-34).
• The Tritons committed 24 turnovers, while forcing 23 for the Wildcats.
• With the loss, UC San Diego moved to 0-2 in the all-time series with Arizona.
• UC San Diego starters were Sumayah Sugapong, Sabrina Ma, Gracie Gallegos, Kayanna Spriggs and Junae Mahan.

 
UP NEXT
The Tritons will remain home for a pair of game in LionTree Arena next week, playing host to Saint Mary's on Thursday at 11 a.m. and Fresno State on Sunday at 2 p.m. 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.