SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif.—UC San Diego women's basketball fell to Cal Poly, 59-52, in the 2023-24 season finale on Saturday afternoon in Mott Athletic Center. After trailing by as many as 10, the Tritons (12-19, 8-12 Big West) pulled even with the Mustangs (17-12, 13-7 Big West) with under four minutes to play but could not complete the comeback.
 
Sumayah Sugapong recorded a game-high 19 points and Denali Pinto added 13 for the Tritons. Katie Springs collected a team-best eight rebounds, while Pinto tallied seven. Sugapong also led UC San Diego with two assists.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
Cal Poly jumped out to the early lead, 8-4, to open the contest. The Tritons responded with a five-point run—highlighted by a three from Forsyth—to take their first lead of the contest, 9-8, with just under three minutes to play. The teams battled to a 10-10 tie before the Mustangs knocked down a three in the final seconds to lead 13-10 at the first quarter break.
 
The Mustangs scored seven unanswered to open the second quarter, building their largest lead of the contest, 20-10. UC San Diego finally ended the drought with under six minutes to play with a bucket in the paint by Damilola Sule. Pinto knocked down a three to cut the deficit to five, 21-16, but Cal Poly put together a 4-0 run to build its lead back late. The Tritons continued to battle but CP took a 28-22 lead into halftime.
 
The teams traded shots to open the second half and Cal Poly maintained an eight-point lead midway through the quarter, 34-26. The Tritons went on an 11-3 scoring run to pull within two points, 39-37, with 36 seconds remaining in the period. A three by the Mustangs and a buzzer-beater putback by Katie Springs made it 42-39 at the end of the fourth period.
 
The Tritons battled to stay within six points for the first half of the final period, trailing 50-44 with 5:45 to play. Sugapong sank a free-throw to complete a three-point play and Pinto went 3-for-3 at the line to pull the teams even at 50-all with 3:51 on clock. The Mustangs then scored five unanswered to retake the lead, 55-50. Pinto knocked down a pair of free throws to make it a one-score game, 55-52, with 39 seconds to play but the Tritons were unable to pull any closer.
 
TRITON TIDBITS

• Sumayah Sugapong scored in double figures for the 24th time this season.
• Denali Pinto scored in double figures for the 19th time this season.
• The Tritons moved to 5-4 in the all-time series (5-3 in D-I) with Cal Poly.
• UC San Diego starters were Gracie Gallegos, Parker Montgomery, Denali Pinto, Katie Springs and Sumayah Sugapong.

 
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.