LA JOLLA, Calif. – UC San Diego women's basketball (10-13, 6-6 Big West) fell, 64-52, to first-place Hawai'i (13-8, 10-2 Big West) on Thursday night in LionTree Arena.
Damilola Sule led the squad with 12 points, 12 rebounds, two blocks and two steals.
Gracie Gallegos collected a team-high 13 points, while also contributing four rebounds and three assists.
Sumayah Sugapong chipped in nine points and three assists.
HOW IT HAPPENED
UC San Diego began on the back foot, turning the ball over three times which Hawai'i converted into six points, prompting an early Triton timeout at an 8-3 deficit.
The Rainbow Wahine's high-speed offense and precise passing continued to trouble the Tritons, which struggled to find open spaces; the team finished with a 45% field goal percentage. Gallegos broke through on the back end of the first quarter, recording half of the Tritons' points in the period. Hawai'i took a 21-14 advantage into the first quarter break.
Sule was a bright spot in a quarter that saw the two teams go scoreless up and down the court for the first two minutes. Sule made an immediate impact during her first minutes on the court, nabbing an offensive rebound and block on the opening sequences.
She went onto record the quarter's first points with two free throws; Sule scored all but three of the Triton's second quarter points. The Rainbow Wahine drew on five players for points during the period, adding on 13 points to take a 34-24 lead heading into halftime.
Hawai'i opened the second half with back-to-back threes, prompting another early UC San Diego timeout. The Tritons strung together more concerted efforts following the regrouping, yielding lengthy but open shots and points.
Growing impatient, the Rainbow Wahine committed seven personal fouls during the quarter. Denali Pinto took full advantage, netting a four-point play following a three-pointer.
UC San Diego's defense did well to quell a determined Hawai'i offense. The Rainbow Wahine shot 33% from open play; unfortunately, five converted shots were threes, distancing the score at 51-37.
The fourth quarter saw the Tritons claw their way back into contention with Gallegos hitting a three, as well as aand-one layup, to get them within ten points. Sule collected a double-double off an offensive rebound, quickly followed up by a fast break layup from Parker Montgomery to close the score to 59-52, but UC San Diego was unable to complete the comeback. The turnover script flipped in the second half as the Rainbow Wahine recorded seven to the Tritons' four.
TRITON TIDBITS
- UC San Diego is now 3-3 against Hawai'i, having last won 60-57 on Jan. 5, 2023.
- Damilola Sule collected her second double-double of the season; her first came against Life Pacific on Nov. 8, 2023, where she recorded 15 points and 12 rebounds.
- Thursday was the team's Black History Month Celebration, with the first 100 students picking up a t-shirt.
- The Tritons wore their white uniforms on Thursday.
UP NEXT
UC San Diego travels north to take on UC Santa Barbara next Thursday. The Tritons claimed a 64-50 victory during the first round of Big West play. The contest begins at 7 p.m. live on ESPN+ with live stats on 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 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.
