LA JOLLA, Calif. – UC San Diego women's basketball (10-12, 6-4 Big West) could not hold on Thursday at LionTree Arena as the Tritons fell in a nail-biting 65-63 loss to Hawai'i (14-6, 8-2 Big West) in overtime. With the loss, the Tritons moved to 3-4 in the all-time series with the Rainbow Wahine.
Sumayah Sugapong was an x-factor for the Tritons, recording a team-leading 17 points and five assists, as well as seven rebounds.
Sabrina Ma hit her stride in the second half, hitting four threes in a 16-point campaign.
Erin Condron led the team with eight rebounds, while also posting 10 points in the paint.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Sugapong got things going with a pair of two-point jumpers on the Triton's way to an 8-7 lead midway through the first quarter. Both teams struggled and capitalized on the other's turnovers; UC San Diego scored all eight of its first points off turnovers. The Rainbow Wahine converted a pair of threes after this point to assume a 17-13 lead by the end of the period.
The Tritons simplified their ball-handling, going 4-of-4 on two-pointers to begin the second quarter. Both teams intensified their defenses afterward, leading to a five-minute drought of Triton points from open play. The hosts broke out of the slump with a steal-and-score
Gracie Gallegos three-pointer. On the other end, the visitors gave up five possessions over six minutes, translating to a four-minute scoring drought. Hawai'i hit a three-pointer in the dying moments to maintain a 32-26 lead by halftime.
Condron led the third quarter effort with a pair of contested layups to claw back 39-34 by the media timeout. The Tritons kept on climbing following the break, going on a gritty 8-0 run, concluded by back-to-back steals to reclaim the lead at 46-44. A tight Hawai'i two-pointer evened the score by the quarter buzzer.
Both sides struggled to get going in the final 10 minutes of regulation as just eight points were scored between the two midway through the quarter. The Tritons broke a five-minute drought with a buzzer-beating three from
Sabrina Ma to make it 52-52. Sugapong kept her cool, converting a reverse layup and two-point jumper to keep it tied with a minute left.
With 19 seconds left, Ma rifled a three-pointer to secure a fragile 59-58 lead. A Hawai'i free throw drew it level with 10 seconds before a Sugapong layup rode the rim to trigger overtime at 59-59.
In the overtime period, consecutive Hawai'i offensive fouls opened the door for the Tritons, who maintained a modest 63-62 advantage. A Hawai'i layup then took the lead away from UC San Diego with a minute left in the period. The lead would sustain itself until the seven second mark, when another free throw brought it to the final score of 65-63.
TRITON TIDBITS
- UC San Diego is now 3-4 all-time against Hawai'i; the team's rematch is set for Feb. 22 at the Stan Sheriff Center.
- Thursday's game marks the fourth overtime match, and overtime loss, of the Tritons' season.
- In honor of Lunar New Year, the Tritons wore their special-edition gold uniforms on Thursday.
- UC San Diego starters were Sumayah Sugapong, Sabrina Ma, Gracie Gallegos, Kayanna Spriggs and Parker Montgomery.
UP NEXT
The Tritons head up north for a 6 p.m. contest against the UC Riverside Highlanders on Thursday, Feb. 6. UC San Diego held on 59-58 against Riverside on Jan. 18, taking the all-time series to 8-16. The game will be broadcast on ESPN+, with live statistics 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.
