BAKERSFIELD, Calif.—UC San Diego women's basketball defeated Cal State Bakersfield, 85-79, on Thursday evening in the Icardo Center. The Tritons (19-8, 14-3 Big West) held a commanding 43-34 advantage in rebounds and scored 38 points in the paint against the Roadrunners (7-20, 2-15 Big West). The win propels the Tritons to the program's best Big West record since joining Division I, tallying 14 conference victories.
 
Makayla Rose scored 19 points while converting 6-of-9 field goal attempts and added five rebounds. Erin Condron posted 16 points along with nine rebounds, making 8-of-10 free throws. Dymonique Maxie tallied 15 points and collected seven rebounds, while Rosa Smith contributed 15 points, including two 3-pointers, and recorded two steals.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
UC San Diego opened the game effectively, establishing control with strong play in the paint. Smith initiated the scoring with a fast-break layup, helping the Tritons to an early 8-2 lead. Condron contributed significantly with a pair of free throws and a layup, extending the advantage to 11-4 midway through the quarter. UC San Diego continued to dominate, with Rose and Maxie each adding key points to push the score further. By the end of the first quarter, the Tritons had built a 25-10 lead over the Roadrunners.
 
The second quarter began with a strong offensive push for UC San Diego, highlighted by Rose's consecutive layups to make it 29-12. The Triton defense also played a critical role, forcing turnovers and converting them into points. Bakersfield responded with a 10-0 run to trim the lead, 29-22, but the Tritons maintained the advantage through consistent scoring in the paint.
 
After the Roadrunners cut the lead to four, a pair of layups from Lev Feiman and Rose helped secure the momentum for the visitors once again, 37-28. The first half ended with UC San Diego holding a 39-30 advantage.
 
UC San Diego made a significant impact midway through the third quarter with Sabrina Ma's 3-pointer at 4:58, quickly followed by her layup at 4:31, sparked a 12-point scoring run for the Tritons that was capped by a three from Smith to make it 61-49. Back-to-back baskets for Bakersfield in the final minute of the period made it 63-55 at the final quarter break.
 
UC San Diego secured its victory in the final quarter with a decisive start, as Smith nailed a three-pointer with an assist from Rose, extending the lead to 66-55. Rose further solidified the lead with a layup following her own steal at 4:38, pushing the score to 74-63. The quarter ended with UC San Diego's free throw efficiency, converting ten of 14 attempts, helping to secure the victory, 85-79.

QUOTABLE
"I'm very proud of our team's effort," said UC San Diego head coach Heidi VanDerveer. "Especially, I thought we came out in the first quarter and set the tone. Defensively, we were very solid, came up with loose balls and turned them into transition. I thought our pace was really good. And then in the second, third and fourth, I think that we made enough plays to extend some leads. I thought that we could have maybe stacked some more positive possessions, but we had four people in double figures. Good teams find a way to win, and I thought that is what happened tonight.
 
Both of our freshmen, Lev [Feiman] and Michaela [Fairwell] came in and gave us solid minutes off the bench. With veteran guards like Dymo [Maxie] and Makayla [Rose], I thought they set the tone defensively. They got out in transition and made great decisions with the basketball. When Bakersfield cut the lead, I thought that both came up with huge plays to help us maintain separation. They were very big in winning down the stretch."
 
TRITON TIDBITS

• With the win, the Tritons have tallied their highest conference win total since joining Division I with 14 Big West victories.
• UC San Diego held the advantage in points off turnovers (11-4), points in the paint (38-26), fast break points (16-6), rebounds (43-34) and steals (7-2).
• The Tritons are now 13-13 in the all-time series, 9-3 in Division I and 2-0 this season against Cal State Bakersfield.
• UC San Diego starters were Erin Condron, Sabrina Ma, Dymonique Maxie, Makayla Rose and Rosa Smith.

 
UP NEXT
The Tritons will wrap up their road schedule at Cal Poly on Saturday at 2 p.m. The game will be broadcast on ESPN+ and live statistics will be available via UCSDTritons.com.
 
Article partially generated by Fan Word.
 
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.