LA JOLLA, Calif.—UC San Diego women's basketball defeated CSUN, 78-64, on Thursday evening in LionTree Arena. The Tritons (15-14, 11-6 Big West) had four players score in double figures to sweep the season series with the Matadors (4-22, 2-15 Big West).
 
Parker Montgomery scored a team-high 17 points, hitting five three-pointers on 10 attempts, and recorded two steals. Erin Condron matched her career high with 16 points on 6-of-7 shooting, adding two steals, while Junaé Mahan and Sumayah Sugapong added 14 and 11 points respectively. Sugapong collected a season-best six assists and added two steals. Gracie Gallegos contributed nine points and led the team with three steals, while Kayanna Spriggs dominated the boards with 13 rebounds, including seven offensive.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Tritons opened the first quarter with Montgomery scoring a three-pointer within the first minute, assisted by Sabrina Ma. CSUN responded with a 6-0 run to take the lead and held the advantage for most of the opening quarter. Despite multiple turnovers, the Tritons managed to tie the game at 18-18 by the end of the quarter, thanks to a last-second jumper by Mahan. Throughout the period, the Tritons demonstrated strong rebounding, particularly with Spriggs and Ma contributing significantly to the team's 11 total rebounds.
 
UC San Diego outperformed the Matadors in the second quarter, retaking the lead in the first two minutes on a Sugapong layup. CSUN tied the game once again with a three-pointer with 7:35 on the clock. A pair of timely threes by Ma sparked a 14-5 run to help the Tritons create separation. Sugapong and Montgomery added threes down the stretch and Gallegos capped the quarter with a layup at the three-second mark, contributing to the Tritons' 49-42 halftime advantage. UC San Diego outscored CSUN, 31-24, in a frenzied offensive period.
 
In the third quarter, the Tritons secured a 17-8 scoring advantage over the Matadors. Montgomery initiated the scoring with a three-pointer at 9:16, assisted by Gallegos. Spriggs contributed significantly with a defensive rebound at 8:54, followed by a layup, assisted again by Gallegos, at 7:59, and a jumper that extended the lead to 56-42. Mahan added to the momentum with a jumper at 4:51 and converted two free throws shortly after, boosting the score to 61-42 with a 12-0 run by the Tritons to open the second half. Sugapong closed the quarter's scoring for the Tritons with a jumper at 1:33, assisted by Condron, ensuring a solid lead heading into the final quarter.
 
In the final quarter, the Tritons' defense was spotlighted by Montgomery and Sugapong, each contributing a block within the first minute. Gallegos secured an early defensive rebound at 9:42, setting the tone for the Tritons' strong rebounding presence, as they collected 12 total boards in the quarter. Condron and Montgomery were key offensive contributors, each scoring a three-pointer, with Condron connecting at 5:57 and Montgomery adding another with 53 seconds remaining. Despite the Matadors outscoring the Tritons 14-12 in the quarter, the Tritons maintained their lead, finishing with a score of 78-64, thanks to consistent defensive efforts and timely scoring.

TRITON TIDBITS

• Four Tritons scored in double figures for the seventh time this season. 
• Erin Condron matched her career high in points.
• UC San Diego held the advantage in points off of turnovers (19-15), second chance points (11-5), bench points (30-15), rebounds (43-34) and steals (11-7).
• With the win, the Tritons moved to 5-3 in the all-time series (5-2 in D-I) with CSUN and 2-0 on the season.
• UC San Diego starters were Sumayah Sugapong, Sabrina Ma, Gracie Gallegos, Kayanna Spriggs and Parker Montgomery.

UP NEXT
UC San Diego will travel to face Cal State Fullerton on Saturday at 2 p.m. to wrap up the penultimate week of the regular season. The game will be broadcast on ESPN+ and live statistics will be available via UCSDTritons.com.
 
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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.