The UCSD women’s basketball team had a successful weekend on both the individual and team levels. Hosting CSU Los Angeles on Feb. 14, the Tritons walked away with an 81-71 victory. They followed on Feb. 15 with a win over CSU Dominguez Hills by protecting a one-point lead for the last 49 seconds to finish the game 49-48.
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The Tritons started strongly on Feb. 14, shooting 47 percent in the first half and entering the locker room at halftime with a 42-35 lead. Junior guard Ali Ginn led the team shooting 9-for-13 from the floor and scoring 21 of her game- and career-high 34 points in the first half. Ginn added nine rebounds, three assists and two steals to her statistics for the evening.
“”Ginn’s career-high 34 points was instrumental to our win. Whenever Cal State would start to creep up, she would hit a three pointer to keep the distance,”” said UCSD head coach Judy Malone.
Sophomore center Margaret Johnson also stood out individually by posting her fourth career double-double, racking up 14 points and 12 rebounds.
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Malone said, “”We have just been waiting for her to break out, and this weekend she played at the level we knew she was capable.””
Another game leader, Stacy Gallagher-Bolton, grabbed 12 boards.
The game on Feb. 15 was described by Malone as a “”defensive battle”” that the Tritons were able to win over CSU Dominguez Hills when Ginn hit another crucial three-point shot with 4:05 to go in the game.
Although the Tritons were up by as many as 13 points in the first half, right before the break the Toros went on a 9-0 run that caused Malone to talk to her team at halftime and get them to regroup.
“”I told them we just need to continue with the defense and be ready to shoot on offense because we will probably only get one look,”” Malone said.
With 49 seconds remaining, the Toros attempted to come back, but the Triton defense was able to force the Toros to shoot a last effort three-pointer and miss.
Johnson added to the defensive battle on Feb. 15 with another double-double comprised of 14 points and 16 rebounds.
“”Our control of the boards and defense saved us when neither team could generate any offense. Rebounds became the key statistic of the game,”” Malone said.
This weekend, the Tritons also celebrated Nicolle Bromley, who became the fifth person in school history to pass the 1,000-point mark. Bromley had 25 points on the weekend, accompanied by 18 rebounds and seven assists.
“”Passing the 1,000-point mark was a great accomplishment that I enjoyed sharing with my friends and family,”” Bromley said.
The two victories this weekend give the Tritons a 7-9 record in the California Collegiate Athletic Association.
