The UCSD women’s basketball team finished its home schedule strongly with a pair of wins over Cal State Dominguez Hills on Feb. 27, 75-72, and Cal State Los Angeles on Feb. 28, 71-63. The Tritons improved to 14-11 overall and 10-10 in the California Collegiate Athletic Association.
Guardian
Senior guard Ali Ginn entered the Feb. 27 game 26 points shy of all-time UCSD leading scorer Lisa Beaver’s 1,274 point record, set between 1989 and 1994. Ginn had four points in the first half.
“First half we pretty much traded baskets,” said Ginn. “It was pretty close.”
UCSD was only up three points to start the second half, 36-33, but the Tritons slowly expanded on the lead with the help of an 11-point run to put them up 54-39.
The Toros came back strong, however, and managed to cut the UCSD lead back to one point with five minutes remaining.
“They came back,” Ginn said. “They started hitting shots, and we went cold.”
UCSD never gave up the lead. The Tritons scored the next five points and hit free throws in the final minutes to secure the win.
“We showed a lot of poise,” Ginn said of the team’s response to the Cal State Dominguez Hills run. “We made some clutch baskets and made our free throws at the end.”
Ginn finished with an impressive 15 points, 12 rebounds and nine assists, one assist shy of a triple-double. Junior forward Margaret Johnson poured in 20 points and grabbed 14 rebounds. Guards freshman Leora Juster and sophomore Andrea Herold both scored in double figures. UCSD also had a commanding lead in rebounds, 54-32.
Octavia Askew led Cal State Dominguez Hills with 21 points. Two others scored in double digits.
Cal State Dominguez Hills dropped to 11-13 overall and 7-12 in the CCAA with the loss.
The results of the Feb. 28 game turned out much like the first. The first half of the last home game of the season, Senior Night, was very close. The teams traded baskets and neither team was able to pull ahead. The lead shifted back and forth in the final minutes of the half, but a lay-up at the buzzer put Cal State Los Angeles up by one point.
UCSD went on a big run to open the second half, just as in the previous game, earning a 10-point lead. Cal State Los Angeles stormed right back with a 10-2 run to cut the Tritons’ lead to two points.
UCSD scored the next four points, and again it was clutch shots down the stretch, especially free throws, that sealed the victory.
The Golden Eagles fell to 6-19 overall and 5-15 in the CCAA.
Ginn hit two free throws with two minutes left in the game to break the all-time scoring record. She finished with 15 points. The other senior, forward Robyn Phillips, finished with seven points and six rebounds. Johnson had 23 points and 12 rebounds for another double-double. Freshman Kim Buffum finished with 12 points, coming on four three-pointers. Ginn was honored in a short ceremony after the game.
Shanna Demus led Cal State Los Angeles with 26 points. Only one other player was in double figures.
UCSD will finish the regular season on the road with games at Cal State San Bernardino and Cal Poly Pomona on March 5 and March 6, respectively, before the NCAA Division II tournament. The Tritons are fighting to squeeze themselves into the tournament and a strong showing to close out the season will greatly benefit their chances of getting in.
