LA JOLLA, Calif. — In the penultimate game of the regular season, UC San Diego women's basketball defeated Cal State Fullerton, 77-69, on Thursday evening in LionTree Arena. The Tritons (21-8, 16-3 Big West) capitalized on turnovers, converting them into 19 points and outscored the Titans (16-13, 12-7 Big West) by a 42-36 margin in the paint.
 
Erin Condron led the way with 23 points, shooting 10-for-13 from the field, with a team-high nine rebounds and contributed defensively with three blocks. Makayla Rose set the Tritons' Division I single season record for steals in the contest and currently has 92 to date. Rose contributed 13 points, recorded four steals, and dished out four assists while pulling down five rebounds. Dymonique Maxie scored 10 points and facilitated the offense with five assists—matching the single-season assists record (132) in the contest—also collecting six rebounds and three steals. Sabrina Ma contributed 12 points, making five baskets, and grabbed six rebounds.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Tritons opened the game with a strong performance, dominating the paint and fast breaks to build an early 10-5 advantage. The team capitalized on its opportunities, scoring 14 points in the paint and securing seven points on fast breaks. Condron's layup at 3:39 and Rose's defensive efforts contributed to maintaining the lead late in the opening period. The Tritons led 20-12 at the end of the first quarter.
 
UC San Diego surged ahead in the second quarter with an effective offensive run, sparked by Lev Feiman's layup and free throw at 9:43. Ma contributed significantly, hitting a 3-pointer at 7:22, and assisting Damilola Sule on a layup at 8:08 as part of a seven-point swing for the home team. The Tritons effectively controlled the paint, scoring 10 points there and limiting the Titans' second chances. The first half ended with the Tritons leading 39-29.
 
The Tritons bolstered their lead in the third quarter with key contributions from Rose and Feiman. At 7:38, Feiman hit a critical 3-pointer, extending the home team's advantage, 44-33. The shot sparked an 11-0 run for UC San Diego. The Tritons maintained their edge by converting free throws and capitalizing on turnovers, pushing the margin to 19 points in the quarter and leading, 61-48, at the final break.
 
The Tritons maintained their lead in the fourth quarter with consistent free-throw shooting and timely scoring. Condron was instrumental, beginning the quarter with back-to-back layups for UC San Diego. Despite some offensive pressure from the visitors, the Tritons effectively responded with defensive rebounds and capitalized on free-throw opportunities in the final minutes to secure the 77-69 victory.
 
TRITON TIDBITS

• Erin Condron recorded her fifth 20-point performance of the season.
• Makayla Rose set the Tritons' Division I single-season steals record, recording four in the contest to reach 92 this season and surpassing the previous mark of 89.
• Dymonique Maxie tied the program's Division I single season assists record, tallying her 132nd of the season in the contest.
• UC San Diego held the advantage in points off turnovers (19-14), points in the paint (42-36), fast break points (21-15) and assists (17-15). Turnovers were tied (21-21) and Fullerton had the edge in steals (15-13).
• The Tritons are now 8-7 in the all-time series with Cal State Fullerton and 2-0 this season.
• UC San Diego starters were Erin Condron, Sabrina Ma, Dymonique Maxie, Makayla Rose and Rosa Smith.

 
UP NEXT
The Tritons will look to clinch a share of the Big West regular season title on Saturday against UC Santa Barbara at 4 p.m. in the final game of the regular season. UC San Diego will celebrate six graduating seniors before the contest, including Gracie Gallegos, Sabrina Ma, Junaé Mahan, Makayla Rose, Rosa Smith and Damilola Sule. 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.