FULLERTON, Calif.—UC San Diego women's basketball defeated Cal State Fullerton, 69-46, on Saturday afternoon in Titan Gym. The Tritons (16-14, 12-6 Big West) earned the season sweep of the Titans (7-21, 5-13 Big West), their fourth conference opponent sweep of the season.
Sabrina Ma led UC San Diego with 23 points, highlighted by shooting 5-for-9 from beyond the arc for a career-best scoring effort in a Triton uniform. She also recorded two assists and one steal.
Sumayah Sugapong contributed 16 points, making 6-of-14 baskets and adding three assists and two steals.
Kayanna Spriggs led the team in rebounding with 11 total boards, five offensive and six defensive, while also scoring six points. Junaé Mahan was a defensive standout with three steals and also contributed two assists.
HOW IT HAPPENED
UC San Diego started the first quarter strong, with
Gracie Gallegos scoring the opening layup at 8:46. Spriggs added to the Triton lead before the Titans even the score at 6-all. The teams remained knotted at 10-10 before UC San Diego put together a 10-point scoring run highlighted by five points from Sugapong. CSF closed out the quarter with a five-point run, but the Tritons took a 20-15 advantage into the first quarter break.
In the second quarter, the Tritons established an offensive rhythm, highlighted by Ma's scoring streak. Ma contributed significantly with two three-pointers and a layup within a span of two minutes, pushing the team ahead to a 30-16 lead by the 6:28 mark. Sugapong facilitated Ma's shooting with two key assists. The Tritons maintained momentum with
Parker Montgomery's fast-break three-pointer, extending the lead, 37-22. Despite a few turnovers, the Tritons concluded the quarter with a 39-26 advantage, outscoring the Titans 19-11 in the period.
The teams traded baskets for most of the third quarter, with UC San Diego maintaining a double-digit lead. Sugapong maintained her momentum with a jumper at 4:14 and a layup at 2:31, bringing the score to 49-34.
Erin Condron scored two consecutive layups, the first assisted by Junaé Mahan and the second by Ma, closing the quarter with the Tritons leading 53-34.
In the fourth quarter, the Tritons maintained a steady lead, highlighted by significant contributions from Ma, who hit two three-pointers at 8:01 and 5:54. On the defensive end,
Rosa Smith made a key steal at 2:58, leading to a fast-break layup by
Nicki Polocheck. The Tritons' scoring was capped off by a three-pointer from
Grace Talbot with 33 seconds remaining, securing a 69-46 victory with a 16-12 scoring edge in the quarter.
TRITON TIDBITS
- Sabrina Ma set a season high with 23 points—her UC San Diego career record.
- UC San Diego held the advantage in second chance points (11-6), points in the paint (34-26), fast break points (14-10) and rebounds (43-35).
- With the win, the Tritons moved to 6-4 in the all-time series with Cal State Fullerton.
- UC San Diego starters were Sumayah Sugapong, Sabrina Ma, Gracie Gallegos, Kayanna Spriggs and Parker Montgomery.
UP NEXT
In the final week of the season, UC San Diego will travel to face Long Beach State on Thursday at 6 p.m. and back home on Saturday against UC Davis in the regular season finale at 2 p.m. The Tritons will celebrate seven seniors before Saturday's game, including
Meaali'i Amosa,
Izzy Forsyth,
Kayanna Spriggs,
Damilola Sule,
Emma Svoboda,
Grace Talbot and
Parker Montgomery. The games will be broadcast on ESPN+ and live statistics will be available via UCSDTritons.com.
Article partially generated with FanWord.
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.
