LA JOLLA, Calif.—UC San Diego women's basketball recorded its 10th conference win, defeating CSUN, 82-67, on Saturday afternoon in LionTree Arena. The Tritons (15-6, 10-1 Big West) outscored the Matadors (6-14, 2-9 Big West) 23-13 in the fourth quarter to come out on top, recording 33 points off turnovers. UC San Diego set the program's single-game record for turnovers forced against a Division I opponent with 31.
 
Makayla Rose set the Tritons' single-game program record with eight steals in the contest, also leading the team with 18 points and adding four rebounds and three assists. Four other Tritons scored in double figures, with Erin Condron and Rosa Smith contributing 16 points apiece, Dymonique Maxie tallying 14 and Sabrina Ma with 11. Condron led the team with seven rebounds and Ma tallied five, while also leading the team with five assists along with Maxie. Maxie collected six steals in the contest as well.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Tritons got off to a hot start, scoring the first six points of the quarter with consecutive layups from Ma, Rose and Condron, building an 8-2 advantage. A string of five points by the Matadors cut the lead to one at the six-minute mark. CSUN tied the game at 10 with a three-pointer at 4:36 on the clock. The Tritons found their rhythm down the stretch, outscoring the Matadors 14-2 to close out the quarter, capped by a three at the buzzer by Ma. UC San Diego scored 16 of its points off turnovers in the opening frame, taking a 24-12 lead into the break.
 
The teams traded baskets early in the second quarter, with a key three from Smith to keep the Tritons up by double-digits, 33-23. Midway through the period CSUN put together a four-point run to close the game, but UC San Diego responded forcing back-to-back turnovers and converting on the other end with baskets from Rose and Sule to make it 37-27. The Tritons continued to pressure down the stretch and held a 10-point advantage with just under 2:30 to play. The Matadors held UC San Diego scoreless in the final minutes and cut the lead to six at the break, 42-36. 
 
Smith opened the second half with a quick three, but CSUN put together a seven-point scoring run to pull within two, 45-43. The Tritons took an early timeout to regroup and responded with a seven-point run of their own to lead, 52-43. The Matadors regained the momentum with an 8-0 scoring run midway through the period to tie the game, 54-54. With just under two minutes in the quarter, UC San Diego locked down on defense, not allowing another point for the Matadors. The Tritons strung together five points to close out the quarter ahead, 59-54.
 
UC San Diego took control in the fourth frame, scoring 18 unanswered to extend a 23-0 streak. Rose recorded back-to-back fast break layups to get the scoring started, while Maxie and Condron each contributed six points in the run to make it 77-54 in favor of the home team. CSUN got its first points of the quarter at 3:35, but the Tritons had the game in hand, eventually securing the 82-67 victory.
 
TRITON TIDBITS

• Makayla Rose set the Tritons' all-time single game record with eight steals, which was also a career best for the senior.
  • She previously recorded six steals in six times throughout her career.
• The Tritons forced a season-high 31 turnovers for CSUN, setting the program's single-game record against a Division I opponent.
• UC San Diego held the advantage in points off turnovers (33-11), points in the paint (54-30), fast break points (34-12), turnovers forced (31-18), steals (22-11) and assists (20-11).
• The Tritons are now 7-3 in the all-time series (7-2 in D-I) against CSUN.
• UC San Diego starters were Erin Condron, Sabrina Ma, Dymonique Maxie, Makayla Rose and Rosa Smith.

 
UP NEXT
UC San Diego will travel to face Long Beach State on Thursday, Feb. 5 at 6 p.m. The Tritons will celebrate National Girls & Women in Sports Day on Saturday, Feb. 7, playing host to Hawai'i in LionTree Arena at 4 p.m. The games will be broadcast on ESPN+ and live statistics will be available via UCSDTritons.com.
 
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.