LA JOLLA, Calif.—UC San Diego women's basketball fell to Northern Kentucky, 58-50, on Thursday afternoon in LionTree Arena. The Tritons (3-9, 1-1 Big West) battled to within one point midway through the fourth quarter but were unable to close out the comeback against the Norse (3-9).
 
Parker Montgomery led the team with 10 points and six steals, while Junae Mahan added eight points and Sumayah Sugapong chipped in seven points and five assists. Kayanna Spriggs collected a team-high 10 rebounds and Gracie Gallegos tallied two blocks in the contest. 
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
Northern Kentucky took the early 6-2 lead to start the contest and extended its lead to five with under three minutes to play. The Tritons put together a seven-point run sparked by a three and a layup from Sugapong to take the lead, 15-13. Rosa Smith hit a three at the buzzer to put UC San Diego on top, 18-15.  
 
The Tritons cooled off to start the second quarter, missing their first nine shots of the period and NKU put together a 12-0 run to retake the lead, 27-18. UC San Diego closed out the quarter with a four-point run, but NKU took a 27-22 lead into the halftime break.
 
The Norse picked up where they left off to open the second half with a 6-2 scoring run to lead, 33-24. Back-to-back layups by Sule and Ma cut the deficit to five, 35-30, midway through the period. A three by NKU stalled the Tritons' momentum and the Norse went back up by 10 with 2:47 to play in the period. Montgomery knocked down a three and Spriggs hit a shot in the paint to make it 45-40 with one quarter to go.
 
UC San Diego opened the final period with a four-point run to cut the deficit to one, 45-44. The Tritons remained within one with under seven minutes to play before NKU put together a seven-point scoring run capped by a three to lead, 54-46. UC San Diego continued to battle down the stretch, but the Tritons were unable to close the gap further, ultimately falling 58-58.
 
TRITON TIDBITS

• Parker Montgomery led the Tritons in scoring for the second time this season with her third double-figure scoring effort.
  • Montgomery set a career high with six steals in the contest.
• Kayanna Spriggs tallied a season-high 10 rebounds.
• It was the first all-time meeting between UC San Diego and Northern Kentucky.
• UC San Diego starters were Sumayah Sugapong, Sabrina Ma, Gracie Gallegos, Kayanna Spriggs and Parker Montgomery.

UP NEXT
UC San Diego will take on La Salle on Saturday at 12 p.m. to wrap up the UC San Diego Classic. The two visiting teams will play a neutral contest on Friday at 2 p.m. Saturday's game will be broadcast on ESPN+ and live statistics will be available for all games 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.