LA JOLLA, Calif.—UC San Diego women's basketball dropped a 63-48 decision to UC Riverside on Thursday evening in LionTree Arena. With the loss, the Tritons (10-16, 6-9 Big West) moved to 1-13 (1-7 in D-I) in the all-time series with the Highlanders (15-11, 10-6 Big West).
 
Denali Pinto led the offense for the third straight game, collecting 15 points as well as a team-high seven rebounds. Izzy Forsyth matched her with seven boards—three offensive—and tallied seven points along with Gracie Gallegos. Sumayah Sugapong led the Tritons with four assists and one steal, while Eri Blithikioti and Grace Talbot collected three assists apiece. Pinto also led UC San Diego with two blocks in the contest.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
The teams traded buckets for most of the opening quarter, with UCR holding the slight edge as late as 3:30 on the clock. A Gallegos layup and a Forsyth three put the Tritons on top for the first time, 14-12, with 2:50 to play. Both teams went cold from the floor for the remainder of the period and the Tritons took a 14-13 edge into the first quarter break.
 
It was back-and-forth to begin the second period before the Highlanders retook the lead for good with 5:42 remaining. UCR used a 11-3 scoring run to lead 28-21 and hit a pair of threes in the closing minutes to lead, 34-25, at halftime. The Highlanders outscored the Tritons 21-11 in the quarter.
 
The Highlanders opened the second half with a 10-2 scoring run to extend their lead to 17 midway through the quarter. UC San Diego put together a 5-0 run to cut into the deficit but UCR responded with a three to stall the Tritons momentum, leading 48-34 at the end of the third period.
 
UC Riverside extended its lead to as many as 22 down the stretch in the final quarter. A pair of Forsyth layups and a Gallegos three closed out the contest for the Tritons but it proved to be too late, with UCR securing the victory, 63-48. 
 
TRITON TIDBITS

• Denali Pinto scored in double figures for the 16th time this season.
• The Tritons held the advantage in rebounds (38-31), second chance points (13-9) and bench points (12-10), while UC Riverside had the edge in points off turnovers (24-9), points in the paint (28-22) and fast break points (9-0).
• It was the season debut for Grace Talbot who has been dealing with injury for most of the season. 
• UC San Diego starters were Gracie Gallegos, Parker Montgomery, Denali Pinto, Sumayah Sugapong and Emma Svoboda.

 
UP NEXT
The Tritons will hit the road for a matchup on Saturday at UC Irvine. Tipoff is scheduled for 2 p.m. 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 Conference 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 83 Tritons have earned Academic All-America honors, while 38 have garnered 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.