RIVERSIDE, Calif.— UC San Diego women's basketball defeated California Baptist, 67-59, on Monday evening in CBU Events Center. The Tritons (6-4) used a 30-point third quarter to defeat the Lancers (6-5) for the second time in the program's Division I era.
Â
Erin Condron led the team with 15 points and 13 rebounds for her third double-double of the season, adding two assists and two steals.
Sabrina Ma finished with 14 points and two steals, while
Rosa Smith tallied 12 points and two assists.
Makayla Rose led the team with four steals, adding 10 points, eight rebounds, three assists and one block.
Dymonique Maxie collected a team-best five assists, two blocks and two steals while also chipping in seven points.
Â
HOW IT HAPPENED
California Baptist opened the contest with a three-pointer before the Triton defense locked down, holding the Lancers off the board for the next five minutes. UC San Diego put together a 10-point scoring run, highlighted by a pair of layups by Condron and two steal-and-score layups by Rose. A corner three from Smith sparked a six-point swing for the Tritons in the final three minutes and UC San Diego took an 18-8 lead into the first quarter break.
Â
After an early layup by Smith, the Tritons cooled off to start the second period. CBU scored 10 unanswered points to make it a one-score game with under four minutes to play. Junaé Mahan ended the drought for UC San Diego with a three-pointer and
Nicki Polocheck capitalized on a Lancer turnover in the final 30 seconds to give the Tritons a 25-20 halftime advantage.
Â
UC San Diego finally found its rhythm in the third quarter, opening with a three-pointer from Ma. Ma hit three more from beyond the arc in the quarter to contribute to a 30-point effort for the Tritons. Back-to-back threes from Ma and Smith, followed by a layup from
Damilola Sule gave UC San Diego its largest lead of the contest, 46-31, with four minutes left in the quarter. The Tritons maintained their advantage down the stretch and took a 55-42 lead into the final quarter break.
Â
The Lancer opened the final period with a seven-point scoring run to cut the lead to single digits once again, 55-49. Each time CBU rallied late, the Tritons had an answer. Rose hit a mid-range jumper and Condron completed a three-point play in the paint to build the lead back to ten, 63-53, with under four minutes to play. The Lancers pressed one final time, scoring four in a row before back-to-back baskets by Smith sealed the victory for the Tritons, 67-59.
Â
TRITON TIDBITS
Â
UP NEXT
UC San Diego will wrap up its non-conference schedule at home, playing host to Northern Arizona on Dec. 20 at 2 p.m. in the Tritons' final game before the new year. The game will be broadcast on ESPN+ and live statistics will be available via UCSDTritons.com.
Â
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.
Â
