IRVINE, Calif.—UC San Diego women's basketball defeated UC Irvine, 69-65, in overtime on Saturday afternoon in Bren Events Center. The Tritons (11-16, 7-9 Big West) got their first win over the Anteaters (17-8, 12-4 Big West) since 2021 and moved to 2-6 in the Division I series.
 
Gracie Gallegos secured her first double-double, recording career highs in points (18) and rebounds (12) to lead the Tritons. Sumayah Sugapong and Denali Pinto also scored in double figures with 15 and 12 points respectively. Gallegos also led the team with three assists, along with Katie Springs. Pinto and Springs collected three steals apiece and Gallegos collected two.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Anteaters jumped out to 6-2 lead early in the opening quarter and extended their lead to 15-6 with 2:56 to play. UC San Diego found a bit of momentum late in the period, putting together a 4-0 run in the final minute to make it 15-10 at the first quarter break.
 
Forsyth opened the second period with a three pointer to make it a one-score game, 15-13. UCI extended its lead back to six midway through the quarter, 25-19. The Tritons caught fire from beyond the arc, scoring 11 unanswered including two threes by Pinto and one by Eri Blithikioti to give UC San Diego the lead, 30-25. UCI knocked down a pair of free throws in the final seconds and the Tritons took a 30-27 lead into halftime.
 
The Anteaters used a 4-0 scoring run in the opening minutes of the second half to pull within one, 32-31. The teams traded baskets before the Tritons put together a 4-0 run of their own to move in front, 41-34, midway through the period. UC Irvine then outscored the Tritons 13-3 to close out the quarter and lead 47-44 at the break.
 
Sugapong tied the game up in the opening seconds of the fourth quarter with a three-pointer. The teams went back-and-forth for much of the period before UC Irvine hit a three with 3:33 to play to build its largest lead of the quarter, 59-53. The Tritons scored six unanswered to close out the fourth—highlighted by a Parker Montgomery three and a running jumper by Sugapong with 16 seconds left to tie the game, 59-59, and force overtime.

Sumayah. Sugapong. Tie ballgame!

?? https://t.co/kv78c1bESy#GoTritons pic.twitter.com/vp4ADwYpll

— UC San Diego WBB (@UCSDwbb) February 24, 2024

The Tritons opened the overtime period with back-to-back layups by Springs and Sugapong to retake the lead, 63-59. Gallegos extended the lead to six, hitting a jumper with 1:41 to play to make it, 67-61. Then UC Irvine cut the lead back to two after a timely three made it, 67-65. UC San Diego was tough on defense in the final minute, holding the Anteaters off the board. The Tritons knocked down two pivotal free throws and secured the 69-65 victory.
 
QUOTABLE
"Obviously very excited for our win today," said UC San Diego head coach Heidi VanDerveer. "I think our team showed tremendous character and growth. We had a lot of people step up, especially Gracie Gallegos playing 45 minutes and taking a share of the ball-handler responsibilities against a very good defensive team in UC Irvine. Sumayah Sugapong also did a great job for us down the stretch in the closing minutes. We stuck with our plan, communicated well and really grew today. We've gotten better throughout the year—obviously we've had a rough stretch recently—but I thought we showed a lot of character, resilience, and growth today and that's what it's about."
 
TRITON TIDBITS

• Gracie Gallegos recorded career highs in points (18), rebounds (12) and minutes (45) for her first career double-double. 
• Sumayah Sugapong scored in double figures for the 20th time this season and 17th for Denali Pinto.
• It was the first victory for UC San Diego over UC Irvine since the Tritons' first season in Division I (66-63; Feb. 26, 2021). The Tritons are now 2-12 in the all-time series with UCI and 2-6 in D-I.
• UC San Diego starters were Izzy Forsyth, Gracie Gallegos, Parker Montgomery, Denali Pinto and Sumayah Sugapong.
• Both of UC San Diego's basketball teams (men's and women's) defeated UC Irvine in overtime by four points on Saturday (MBB, 92-88).

 UP NEXT
The Tritons will wrap up their home schedule next weekend in LionTree Arena, playing host to Cal State Bakersfield on Thursday, Feb. 29 at 7 p.m. and facing CSUN on Saturday, March 2 at 2 p.m. UC San Diego will celebrate seniors Denali Pinto, Parker Montgomery and Katie Springs prior to Sunday's competition. The games will be broadcast on ESPN+ with live statistics 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.