NORTHRIDGE, Calif. – UC San Diego women's basketball defeated CSUN, 82-44, on Saturday afternoon in Premier America Credit Union Arena. The Tritons (10-11, 6-3 Big West) recorded season-highs in turnovers forced (30), margin of victory (38) and total points (vs Division I opponent) against Matadors (4-14, 1-8 Big West) for their fourth consecutive win.
 
For the second consecutive game, Sumayah Sugapong recorded 20-plus points, finishing two shy of her career high with 23. Gracie Gallegos and Sabrina Ma also scored in double figures with 15 and 11 points respectively. Gallegos led the way with seven rebounds, while Sugapong finished with five boards and a team-best four assists. The Tritons forced 30 turnovers for the Matadors, led by five steals by both Gallegos and Parker Montgomery.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED 
UC San Diego used an early eight-point scoring run to lead CSUN, 11-2, midway through the opening quarter. Gallegos led the scoring effort in the first period, accounting for nine of the Tritons' points. Sugapong hit a jumper and a three in the closing minutes to give UC San Diego a 20-10 first-quarter lead.
 
After the Matadors opened the second period with a three, Sugapong hit three consecutive shots from three-point range to build a commanding 29-13 lead. The string sparked an 18-3 run by the Tritons to lead, 35-16. Back-to-back threes by Condron and Ma extended UC San Diego's lead 41-17. The Tritons closed out the quarter with another five-point run to lead, 46-20, at halftime. UC San Diego forced 17 first-half turnovers for the Matadors.
 
The Tritons picked up right where they left off to begin the third quarter. Back-to-back threes from Sugapong and Ma highlighted a 10-1 run to open the second half and build a 56-21 lead. UC San Diego maintained the pressure and took a 62-35 advantage into the final quarter break.
 
UC San Diego maintained a 32-point advantage mid-way through the final period before a jumper by Junaé Mahan and a three by Rosa Smith made it 76-39. With under two minutes to play, Smith scored a layup and Eri Blithikioti hit a jumper to build the largest lead of the contest at 39 points. The Tritons went on to claim the 82-44 road victory. 
 
TRITON TIDBITS 

• Sumayah Sugapong recorded her fifth 20-point performance of the season.
• The Tritons recorded their highest margin of victory (38) against a Division I opponent this season and largest since setting the program record against Cal Poly (42) on March 5, 2022.
• UC San Diego's 82 points were the most scored against a D-I opponent this season.
• The Tritons matched their season-high in turnovers forced (30) and set the program record against a Division I opponent.
• The Tritons held the advantage in points off turnovers (27-10), second chance points (11-6), bench points (23-7), points in the paint (32-14) and fast break points (23-5).
• UC San Diego is now 4-3 in the all-time series (4-2 in D-I) with CSUN.
• UC San Diego starters were Sumayah Sugapong, Sabrina Ma, Gracie Gallegos, Kayanna Spriggs and Parker Montgomery. 

UP NEXT 
UC San Diego will play host to Hawai'i on Thursday, Jan. 30 at 7 p.m. in the Tritons' lone contest of the week before a bye on Saturday. The game will be 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 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.