LOS ANGELES – UC San Diego women's basketball fell to Southern, 68-56, in the NCAA Tournament First Four round hosted in Pauley Pavilion on Wednesday evening. After a slow first half, the Tritons (20-16) battled back in the third quarter from a 20-point deficit, but ultimately fell to the Jaguars (21-14) in their first ever March Madness appearance.
Sumayah Sugapong led the Tritons with 19 points, 6 assists, and 5 rebounds, while
Parker Montgomery added 15 points and three rebounds.
Gracie Gallegos and
Erin Condron each tallied 4 rebounds. Coming off the bench to lift the Tritons, Junaé Mahan scored 8 points, grabbed 2 rebounds, and tallied 2 assists.
HOW IT HAPPENED
It was a slow start for the Tritons in the first half, scoring 11 points to their foes' 19. Sugapong opened the scoring for UC San Diego on a pull-up jumper in the paint after a Jaguar turnover. In the final two minutes of the first quarter,
Sabrina Ma sank a three to pull within four, but SU grew the deficit to 19-11 before the quarter ended.
The Tritons continued to trail the Jaguars in the second quarter as Southern outscored UC San Diego 21-9. Heading into halftime, the Tritons trailed 40-20.
Opening the third quarter with back-to-back buckets, the Tritons scored a quick five points on a jumper and three pointer both by Montgomery. Sugapong joined in the rally as she scored eight quick points on two threes and a layup, taking the ball through the paint which caused a Southern timeout to be called. UC San Diego held the Jaguars scoreless for the final four minutes of the quarter and went on a seven-point run to pull within nine points and outscore Southern 20-9 in the third quarter
Continuing to rally, UC San Diego kept the pressure on in the fourth quarter with back-to-back three pointers from Montgomery and Sugapong to keep the Jaguars within reach. The Tritons were within two possessions of Southern with 1:12 left on the clock, after Ma knocked down a jumper behind the arch. Mahan add two more on a turnaround jumper in the paint to make it 62-56. As the clock counted down, UC San Diego battled on defense for more time with the ball. The Jaguars were 3-for-4 from the free throw line in the last minute and UC San Diego was unable to cut into the deficit further as time ran out with the final score of 68-56.
QUOTABLE
TRITON TIDBITS
- It is the first 20-win season for UC San Diego women's basketball in the Division I era.
- The game aired on ESPNU, marking the first nationally televised game for the program.
- UC San Diego made history with its first NCAA Tournament appearance in its first season of eligibility.
- UC San Diego bid farewell to seven seniors appearing in a Triton uniform for the final time, including Meaali'i Amosa, Izzy Forsyth, Kayanna Spriggs, Damilola Sule, Emma Svoboda, Grace Talbot and Parker Montgomery.
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.
