IRVINE, Calif.—UC San Diego women's basketball defeated UC Irvine, 68-66, on Saturday afternoon in Bren Events Center. The Tritons (13-6, 8-1 Big West) snapped a 16-game win streak for the Anteaters (17-3, 8-1 Big West) to remain tied for first place in the Big West. The game featured five ties and six lead changes, with UC San Diego capitalizing on 24 points off turnovers to secure the win.
 
Rosa Smith led the team with 20 points, including four 3-pointers, and added two steals. Erin Condron posted 19 points while recording seven rebounds and two blocks. Makayla Rose contributed with 12 points and a team-high five assists, also collecting six rebounds. Sabrina Ma scored 11 points, making two 3-pointers and securing three rebounds. Nicki Polocheck led the Tritons with eight rebounds, including three offensive boards.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
The teams battled to an early, 8-7, Triton advantage midway through the opening quarter with four early points from Condron. UC Irvine then scored nine points, including two three-pointers, to take the lead, 16-8. UC San Diego responded with a 7-2 run behind five points from Condron to cut into the deficit, but the Anteaters took a 20-15 lead into the first quarter break.
 
UC Irvine extended its lead, 22-15, to open the second period, but the Tritons caught fire with a 13-point swing. UC San Diego's defense held the Anteaters to 0-of-7 from the field in that stretch and a three from Smith gave the Tritons a 28-22 advantage. Irvine ended a 6:46 scoring drought with just under three minutes to play and closed the quarter on a 7-4 run. UC San Diego effectively capitalized on turnovers, scoring seven points off UCI's errors, and maintained the advantage with a strong inside game, scoring eight points in the paint. The Tritons closed the first half leading, 32-29, outscoring UCI 17-9 in the quarter.
 
The Tritons seized momentum in the third quarter with an efficient offensive performance. Dymonique Maxie ignited a strong start with a jumper at 9:13, assisted by Ma, giving the Tritons a 34-31 edge. Condron's fast-break layup at 7:34 extended the lead to 36-33, following her own steal. She maintained pressure with another layup, and Smith's 3-pointer capped a seven-point run for the Tritons to lead, 45-38. The quarter concluded with a decisive 3-pointer by Ma with just one second left, securing an 18-point contribution for the Tritons, who led 50-43 heading into the final frame.
 
UC San Diego opened the fourth quarter with a key 3-pointer by Ma, assisted by Maxie to push the lead to 53-43. Despite the Anteaters' efforts to close the gap, the Tritons maintained their lead through crucial contributions from Smith, who hit a 3-pointer at 7:28, assisted by Rose, extending the score to 57-50. As the quarter progressed, Rose's defensive steal at 1:25 and subsequent free throws by Condron kept the Tritons ahead.
 
In the closing minutes, Smith secured the win with two free throws at 22 seconds remaining, widening the gap to 68-64. UCI responded with a quick layup, but could not overtake the visitors. The game concluded with the Tritons holding off the Anteaters to secure a 68-66 victory.

QUOTABLE
"Very proud of our effort today," said head coach Heidi VanDerveer. "We learned a lot from the Davis game. We came in and were very focused on the things that we needed to do in order to give ourselves the best opportunity. I'm really proud of Rosa [Smith], Erin [Condron] and Makayla [Rose]'s defense. And Dymonique [Maxie] giving a total gritty effort after getting banged up against Davis. I thought Sabrina [Ma] hit some big shots and really, I think the unsung hero the game was Nicki Polocheck. Nicki has not played a ton for us, but has a great attitude, always works hard and is always prepared. We say this, you never know when you're going to get your opportunity, and Nicki definitely took advantage of her opportunity today. Again, I'm very proud of our effort, our resiliency and our ability to grind out a win against a really good team."

TRITON TIDBITS

• It was the third 20-point game of the season for Rosa Smith.
• Nicki Polocheck led the Tritons in rebounding for the first time in her career.
• UC San Diego had the advantage in points off turnovers (24-12), points in the paint (30-24), fast break points (11-10), blocks (3-0) and turnovers forced (14-11). UC Irvine had the edge in rebounds (35-32), second chance points (11-9), assists (16-13) and steals (9-7).
• The Tritons are now 3-14 in the all-time series (3-8 in D-I) against UC Irvine.
• UC San Diego starters were Erin Condron, Sabrina Ma, Dymonique Maxie, Makayla Rose and Rosa Smith.

 
UP NEXT
UC San Diego will wrap up the first half of conference play on the road at UC Santa Barbara on Thursday, Jan. 29 at 6 p.m. The Tritons will return to LionTree Arena on Saturday, Jan. 31 to host CSUN for their Celebrating Black Excellence game at 4 p.m. The games 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 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.