The Tritons’ 17-5 conference record secured UCSD the third seed in the CCAA playoffs and a home game in the first round. But by dropping the game against Cal Poly Pomona, the Tritons lost their chance to challenge the Broncos for the second seed in the conference tournament.
UCSD arrived at Cal Poly Pomona on Thursday with a lot of momentum, entering the match ranked No. 9 in the West Region while also riding an eight-game winning streak. But Pomona — the only team in the CCAA that managed to beat the Tritons in both of their conference match-ups — came out hot, going on a 7-0 run to start the game.
UCSD rallied to cut the deficit, tying the game at nine with 12 minutes remaining in the first half. But from there, subpar shooting from the Tritons and outstanding play from the league’s top-scorer Reyana Colson won the game for the Broncos.
Junior guard Chelsea Carlisle had another tremendous performance for UCSD, playing the entire game for the Tritons while recording 19 points and four assists. Junior center Lauren Freidenberg chipped in nine points and eight rebounds, but without much help from the rest of the squad, it just wasn’t enough.
Bronco guard Colson — who averages 21 points a game — finished with 26 points on the night off 12-of-24 shooting. She was helped by guard Sarah Semenero’s 18 points, who also went 4-of-8 from behind the arc.
“Honestly, we played back on our heels against Pomona and didn’t take care of business,” head coach Charity Elliott said. “But I was really proud of how we bounced back against [San Bernardino] and played a complete 40-minute game.”
On Friday, UCSD rebounded to beat fourth-seeded Cal State San Bernardino 76-50 in its last game of the regular season.
The Tritons were back in form against the Coyotes, shooting 59 percent from the field in the second half, with offensive contributions from a number of Tritons.
Freidenberg led UCSD in scoring, going 6-of-13 from the field to finish with 18 points. Carlisle recorded 17 points and a team-leading eight rebounds, while sophomore guard Emily Osga and freshman forward Erin Dautremont both contributed 10 points on the night. The Tritons pulled out in front of Cal State San Bernardino early, sinking seven of their first nine shots to collect a lead that would put the game out of the Coyotes’ reach.
“In its entirety, our game against [San Bernardino] was probably our best game this season, since we were able to put together a solid 40 minutes of play with no let-downs.” Osga said. “We got our momentum back after our ugly loss against Pomona and are ready for post-season play and carrying over the same energy that we had last night.”
The Tritons will face off against Chico State this Tuesday, March 1 at 7 p.m. in RIMAC Arena. UCSD has beaten the Wildcats twice this season, but Elliott said the Tritons look forward to a battle Tuesday night and throughout the postseason.
“Now it’s 0-0 for everyone and we are excited to get another game in RIMAC,” Elliott said. We definitely need everyone out there to help us get through a tough Chico team.”
Readers can contact Rachel Uda at [email protected].
