The UCSD women’s basketball team went into this weekend’s pair of road games knowing it had two tough games ahead. Little did the team know just how tough the road would prove to be.
Friday night the Tritons traveled to San Bernardino, where they met the California State University San Bernardino Coyotes. The ladies from San Bernardino were looking to avenge a 54-47 loss to UCSD at RIMAC Arena that had occurred earlier in the season.
UCSD started the game focused on defense, but it neglected to bring its shooting touch to the court. The Tritons held the Coyotes to 26 percent from the field in the first half, but only shot 30 percent themselves and trailed 21-25 at halftime.
“”Shooting killed us,”” said UCSD head coach Judy Malone. “”We were getting good shots, but we just weren’t hitting them.””
The second half found UCSD in foul trouble, and the Coyotes’ Sharee Brown made them pay from the charity stripe, where she shot nine out of 12 for the game. Brown finished with 19 points. As a team, the Tritons only made 10 out of 21 free throws for the game.
However, the Tritons didn’t give up. Ali Ginn led the Triton comeback effort, finishing with a game-high 21 points on 4-6 three-point shooting. But the balanced San Bernardino scoring attack and a 28-7 edge in bench scoring made the difference and the Tritons fell 63-51.
Guard Nicholle Bromley overcame a poor shooting night to contribute nine rebounds, and center Margaret Johnson added 10 points and six rebounds. Danyiel Wortham chipped in with seven points and four rebounds.
On Saturday, UCSD looked to bounce back from Friday’s defeat. Standing in its way was second-ranked California Collegiate Athletic Association powerhouse Cal Poly Pomona.
After narrowly escaping a RIMAC Arena upset earlier in the year, Cal Poly Pomona solidified itself as a dominant team, never trailing the Tritons and doubling UCSD’s score at halftime 54-27.
The Tritons were hobbled by an injury to leading scorer Ginn.
“”Ali Ginn hurt her knee in the first few minutes,”” Malone said.
Before Ginn could get to the bench, the rout had begun.
“”Pomona pressed all game,”” Malone said. “”They are very athletic and aggressive.””
The Broncos defense forced 31 Triton turnovers and frustrated UCSD all night.
With the game’s outcome certain and Ginn’s injury, some Tritons got a little more playing time than usual.
“”Laura Sargent had a good game,”” said Malone, who was encouraged by the Tritons’ bench play. “”Stacy [Gallagher-Bolton] has also been playing very well lately.””
Karina Siam led UCSD, scoring with 11 points off the bench. Gallagher-Bolton finished with 10 points and four rebounds.
Pomona, which didn’t stop its full-court press, led by as many as 40 points and ended the game 96-57.
The win put Pomona in a first-place tie with Cal State Bakersfield and dropped UCSD to 9-11 in conference play and 13-12 overall.
“”It was a lousy weekend,”” Malone said, summing up the feelings of disappointment for UCSD.
This weekend, the Tritons look to bounce back in their last CCAA homestand before ending the season on the road. The UC Davis Aggies come to town Friday night, followed by the Chico State Wildcats on Saturday night. Both games tip off at 5:30 p.m.
