LA JOLLA, Calif.—The penultimate week of the 2023-24 season will see UC San Diego women's basketball wrap up the Tritons' home schedule with two games in LionTree Arena.
The Tritons (11-16, 7-9 Big West) will play host to Cal State Bakersfield (8-18, 5-12 Big West) on Thursday at 7 p.m. UC San Diego will celebrate its seniors before taking on CSUN (2-25, 0-17 Big West) on Saturday at 2 p.m.
The games will be broadcast on ESPN+ and live statistics will be available via UCSDTritons.com.
CELEBRATING THE SENIORS
UC San Diego will recognize three seniors before Saturday's contest against the Matadors. The Tritons will celebrate
Parker Montgomery (Business Economics),
Denali Pinto (Master of Finance) and
Katie Springs (Political Science: Pre-Law) playing in their final game in LionTree Arena.
DETAILS
Game 28
UC San Diego (11-16, 7-9) vs Cal State Bakersfield (8-18, 5-12)
Thursday, Feb. 29 | 7 p.m.
LionTree Arena (4,000) | La Jolla, Calif.
All-time series: 8-13 (4-3 in D-I)
Last meeting: UCSD 48, CSUB 52 (Dec. 28, 2023)
Watch on ESPN+ |
Live Stats
Game 29
UC San Diego vs CSUN (2-25, 0-17)
Saturday, Mar. 2 | 2 p.m.
LionTree Arena (4,000) | La Jolla, Calif.
All-time series: 3-2
Last meeting: UCSD 53, CSUN 52 (Feb. 1, 2024)
Watch on ESPN+ |
Live Stats
| ABOUT THE TRITONS |
ABOUT CAL ST. BAKERSFIELD |
ABOUT CSUN |
| Roster | Schedule | Stats |
Roster | Schedule | Stats |
Roster | Schedule | Stats |
| Overall: 11-16 |
Overall: 8-18 |
Overall: 2-25 |
| Big West: 7-9 |
Big West: 5-12 |
Big West: 0-17 |
| Home: 5-8 |
Home: 5-6 |
Home: 2-13 |
| Away: 5-7 |
Away: 3-11 |
Away: 0-12 |
| Neutral: 1-1 |
Neutral: 0-1 |
Neutral: 0-0 |
| vs. Ranked Opponents: 0-0 |
vs. Ranked Opponents: 0-0 |
vs. Ranked Opponents: 0-1 |
| Streak: W1 |
Streak: L3 |
Streak: L25 |
UP NEXT
UC San Diego will wrap up the 2023-24 season on the road, traveling to face UC Davis on Thursday, Mar. 7 and concluding the season at Cal Poly on Saturday, Mar. 9. The games will be broadcast on ESPN+ and live statistics will be available via UCSDTritons.com.
LAST TIME OUT
UC San Diego went 1-1 last week, falling to UC Riverside at home, 48-63, on Thursday and defeated UC Irvine on the road, 69-65, in overtime on Saturday.
Gracie Gallegos recorded her first double-double on Saturday with career highs in points (18) and rebounds (12) in 45 minutes for the Tritons.
UC San Diego 48, UC Riverside 63
Points: Pinto (15); Forsyth, Gallegos (7)
Rebounds: Forsyth, Pinto (7)
Assists: Sugapong (4); Blithikioti, Talbot (3)
Steals: Five Tritons with 1 each
Blocks: Pinto (2); Forsyth (1)
UC San Diego 69, UC Irvine 65 (OT)
Points: Gallegos (18); Sugapong (15); Pinto (12)
Rebounds: Gallegos (12); Montgomery, Springs (5)
Assists: Gallegos, Springs (3); Forsyth (2)
Steals: Pinto, Springs (3); Gallegos (2)
Blocks: Springs (1)
AWARDS
UCU Athlete of the Week (Jan. 8):
Katie Springs
UCU Athlete of the Week (Jan. 2):
Izzy Forsyth
UCU Athlete of the Week (Dec. 26):
Sumayah Sugapong
Big West Player of the Week (Dec. 25):
Sumayah Sugapong
UCU Athlete of the Week (Dec. 4):
Sumayah Sugapong
UCU Athlete of the Week (Nov. 27):
Denali Pinto
STACKING UP AGAINST THE BIG WEST
The Tritons currently rank third in the Big West in combined team rebounds (37.2 per game), fourth in defensive rebounds (25.9 per game) and offensive rebounds (11.3 per game) and third in rebounding margin (3.1).
UC San Diego ranks fourth in defense, allowing 58.1 points per game and second in opponent field goal percentage (.378).
- Sumayah Sugapong ranks fifth in scoring (13.4 ppg), 15th in field goal percentage (.360), 18th in three-pointers (1.2 per game) and 20th in assists (2.1 per game).
- Katie Springs ranks seventh in rebounding (7.3 per game) and 12th in blocked shots (0.7 per game) and 18th in steals (1.3 per game).
- Denali Pinto ranks fifth in three-pointers (2.0 per game) and 14th in scoring (11.3 ppg).
EXPERIENCED ROSTER
UC San Diego returns seven Tritons from the 2022-23 squad, including starters
Izzy Forsyth and
Parker Montgomery. Forsyth was an All-Big West honorable mention a season ago, recognized alongside sophomore
Junae Mahan (All-Freshman Team). The Tritons will have big shoes to fill after the graduation of
Sydney Brown,
Emily Cangelosi and
Julia Macabuhay who started all games for UC San Diego a season ago. However, the Tritons will have good depth on their bench with a combined 4,040 minutes of Division I experience during the 2022-23 season.
FRESH FACES
The Tritons added a wealth of talent during the offseason, signing three incoming true freshmen and four transfer scholar-athletes for the 2023-24 season. La Jolla Country Day product
Sumayah Sugapong (San Diego, Calif.) joins two international Tritons,
Eri Blithikioti (Athens, Greece) and
Erin Condron (Woodend, Victoria, Australia) to make up the freshman class.
Gracie Gallegos (Denver, Colo.) will also see her first action as a Triton after redshirting the 2022-23 campaign.
UC San Diego added four transfer students to its roster as well, including junior
Meaali'i Amosa (Pepperdine),
Rosa Smith (Idaho),
Damilola Sule (UC Merced) and
Emma Svoboda (Oklahoma).
TRITONS PICKED FIFTH IN PRESEASON POLL
UC San Diego was picked to finish tied for fifth in the 2023-24 Big West Preseason Coaches' Poll with 59 points. Hawai'i was picked to finish first with six of the 11 first-place votes (95 points). Defending Big West champion UC Irvine was picked to finish second with two first-place votes (88 points) and UC Davis rounded out the top three with three first-place votes (85 points).
UC Santa Barbara (65 points) was picked to finish fourth, followed by Cal State Fullerton (59) and UC San Diego (59) tied for fifth, Long Beach State (45), Cal Poly (42), Cal State Bakersfield (25), UC Riverside (24) and CSUN (18).
WINNING IN THE CLASSROOM
The Tritons excelled in the classroom in 2022-23 with three scholar-athletes earning College Sports Communicators (CSC) Academic All-District honors, including
Izzy Forsyth. UC San Diego had six scholar-athletes named to the 2022-23 Big West Winter All-Academic Team, including Forsyth and
Katie Springs. Additionally, 11 Tritons were named to the Big West Commissioner's Honor Roll with seven earning Highest Honors (3.51-4.00 GPA) including Forsyth, Springs,
Gracie Gallegos,
Gabby Louther and
Denali Pinto.
WHY THE TRITONS?
The Triton is described as the offspring of Poseidon and Amphitrite, a demigod of the sea with a lower part of the body like that of a fish. It is known as a mighty and fierce sea warrior. Given UC San Diego's close proximity to the Pacific Ocean and its connections with the world-famous Scripps Institution of Oceanography, the Triton became our mascot in 1964.
ON THE MOVE
After 20 seasons playing as an NCAA Division II team, the entire athletics program has begun a four-year transition to NCAA Division I, culminating in full DI status as a member of the
Big West Conference for the 2024-25 academic year. At that time, all sports will be eligible for conference and NCAA postseason play.
WELCOME TO LIONTREE ARENA
Since it was established nearly three decades ago, the University of California San Diego's RIMAC (Recreation, Intramural and Athletic Complex) Arena has been home to countless athletic competitions, graduations, concerts and other events that are imprinted on the memories of thousands of UC San Diego alumni, students, friends and visitors.
In June of 2022, UC San Diego announced that RIMAC Arena has been named LionTree Arena in recognition of a $5 million gift for scholar-athletes from LionTree, an independent investment and merchant bank with expertise in technology, media and the digital economy. LionTree was founded by UC San Diego alumnus Aryeh B. Bourkoff, who also serves as the firm's CEO. LionTree's gift is the largest ever received by UC San Diego Athletics, establishing the LionTree Endowed Scholarship Fund to support scholar-athletes.
UC SAN DIEGO ON THE WORLDWIDE LEADER
Most UC San Diego home men's and women's basketball games, men's and women's soccer matches, men's and women's volleyball matches, baseball and softball games are broadcast live on ESPN+. For more information on where to watch UC San Diego women's basketball, visit
UCSDTritons.com/live.
GAME DAY GOES DIGITAL
Triton fans now have a whole new way to access game day information, as game programs have gone digital! Fans can visit
UCSDTritons.com from their smart phone or scan the QR code at the entrance to LionTree Arena for everything they need to know about each home game, including updated rosters, schedules, and stats for each team, as well as links to watch on ESPN+.
COVERING THE TRITONS
Media members wishing to cover a UC San Diego game in-person at LionTree Arena must notify a member of the Athletics Communication staff no later than 24 hours prior to the game.
Following the conclusion of each home game, a video highlight melt and video postgame interviews will be made available for media members to download.
GET SOCIAL WITH UC SAN DIEGO WOMEN'S BASKETBALL
Keep up with the Tritons all season long on social media through
Twitter and
Instagram. The team's handle is @UCSDwbb.
FOR THE YOUNGER CROWD
Got some young Triton fans in your family? If they are eighth grade or under, check out the
Junior Triton Club. Membership includes a free t-shirt, admission to over 100 UC San Diego home athletic events, and much more!
GEAR
For the latest Triton apparel and accessories,
click here.
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.
