HENDERSON, Nev. – UC San Diego redshirt sophomore
Gracie Gallegos scored a career-high 24 points and grabbed seven rebounds as the Tritons topped UC Davis, 75-66, to claim the Big West Championship Saturday afternoon at Lee's Family Forum. Playing in its first Division I season with postseason eligibility, UC San Diego (20-15) will represent The Big West in March Madness beginning next week. Playing their third game in as many days, the Tritons led start to finish in the championship victory.
Sophomore
Sumayah Sugapong scored added 11 points and seven boards over 29 minutes and was named the tournament's Most Valuable Player.
The third seed Aggies wrap the tournament with a record of 21-12.
HOW IT HAPPENED
UC San Diego came out strong and built an 8-0 lead, forcing a UC Davis timeout. Like Friday's semifinal, the Tritons' defense was stifling early, forcing the Aggies to miss their first eight field goal tries (six from three-point range). The Tritons scored eight points in the paint and led 16-9 after the first quarter.
UC San Diego spread the ball around in the second, with five Tritons getting in the scoring column. UC Dan Diego led 34-21 at halftime, led by eight points from
Gracie Gallegos. The Tritons limited the Aggies to just 23% shooting (7-for-31).
The third quarter was pretty evenly played, with the Tritons adding two points to their lead.
Sabrina Ma scored a pair of buckets and Gallegos and
Erin Condron also added four points. UC San Diego took a 54-39 lead into the fourth quarter.
UC Davis was down ten with just over a minute to play, but the Aggies' fast break was thwarted thanks to a tremendous block from Gallegos. On the other end, a Ma fast break layup sealed the win.
QUOTABLE
TRITON TIDBITS
- Triton sophomore Sumayah Sugapong was named tournament's Most Valuable Player. Grad student Parker Montgomery and redshirt sophomore Gracie Gallegos were also selected to the All-Tournament team.
- The Tritons are now 3-0 in the postseason all-time as a Division I program.
- The Tritons improved to 16-4 when leading at halftime this season.
UP NEXT
UC San Diego will play in the NCAA Tournament for the first time at the Division I level. The Tritons last qualified for the postseason in 2019-20 (Division II), before that event was canceled due to COVID-19. The 2025 NCAA March Madness selection show will air on ESPN on Sunday at 5 p.m. PDT. Fans are invited to watch with the team live inside LionTree Arena Sunday evening. Admission is free.
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 24-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 90 percent, the highest rate among public institutions in Divisions I and II.
