LA JOLLA, Calif.—UC San Diego women's basketball led from start to finish in an impressive, 78-45, victory over Long Beach State on Saturday afternoon in LionTree Arena. With the win, the Tritons (10-12, 6-5 Big West) swept the season series with the Beach (8-13, 3-8 Big West) and improved to 2-6 in the all-time series with both victories coming this season.
 
Denali Pinto led all scorers with 21 points, while four other Tritons scored in double figures. Izzy Forsyth recorded her first career double-double with 11 points and a game-high 10 rebounds. Gracie Gallegos recorded 15 points and seven rebounds, while Sumayah Sugapong and Parker Montgomery added 12 and 10 points respectively. Forsyth and Eri Blithikioti led the way with three assists apiece. Sugapong collected a team-high three steals, while Forsyth and Montgomery tallied two takeaways each.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Tritons got off to a red-hot start, hitting six of their first eight shots from the field. UC San Diego's defense also held LBSU to 0-for-10 to begin the contest and jumped out to an impressive 19-1 lead. In that stretch, UC San Diego went 4-of-5 from three-point range with three different Tritons hitting from beyond the arc. The Beach got their first basket of the opening quarter with 2:22 on the clock. LBSU found its rhythm late, but the Tritons still took a 24-9 lead into the first quarter break.
 
UC San Diego carried the momentum into the second quarter, outscoring the Beach 17-7. Gallegos led the Tritons with nine points of 3-of-5 from the field and 3-for-3 at the free throw line and UC San Diego took a dominating 41-16 lead into the halftime intermission.
 
The Beach put together a mini five-point run early in the second half, but back-to-back threes by Pinto stalled the comeback. Over half of LBSU's points in the period came off free throws as the Beach went 9-for-9 in the quarter. The Tritons limited Long Beach State to 4-of-10 from the field and carried a comfortable 59-33 advantage into the final quarter break.
 
UC San Diego opened the final quarter of play with a 7-1 run to build a 37-point advantage—its largest lead of the contest. With the Tritons leading, 73-36, midway through the period, the Beach put together a 9-1 scoring run to cut into the lead. However, UC San Diego had the game well in hand, punctuated by back-to-back buckets from Gallegos and Emma Svoboda in the final minute to secure the 78-45 victory.
 
TRITON TIDBITS

• After holding LBSU without a field goal in the fourth period of the Jan. 11 matchup and stalling the offense once again to begin the rematch, the Tritons kept the Beach without a field goal for a consecutive 17 minutes and 50 seconds of play.
• Denali Pinto recorded her second 20-point game for the Tritons and 13th double-figure scoring effort of the season.
• Sumayah Sugapong recorded double-figure points for the 18th time this season and sixth consecutive game.
• Gracie Gallegos recorded a career-high 15 points. 
• Emma Svoboda collected a season-high eight points in the contest.
• Izzy Forsyth recorded a career-high 10 rebounds and tallied her first career double-double for UC San Diego.
• UC San Diego starters were Izzy Forsyth, Gracie Gallegos, Parker Montgomery, Denali Pinto, Sumayah Sugapong. 
• The Tritons are now 2-6 in the all-time series with Long Beach State—both of their wins coming this season—and sweep the season series with the Beach.

UP NEXT 
The Tritons will remain home for their lone contest of next week, playing host to Big West-leader Hawai'i on Thursday, Feb. 8 at 7 p.m. UC San Diego will celebrate Black History Month throughout the game, with a live 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.