The UCSD women’s basketball team earned a split in the final weekend of the regular season with a 49-40 win, over Cal State San Bernardino on March 5 and a 69-59 loss, to second-ranked Cal Poly Pomona. The games moved the Tritons’ record to 15-12 overall and 11-11 in the California Collegiate Athletic Association. Cal State San Bernardino dropped to 10-16 overall and 7-14 in the CCAA, while Cal Poly Pomona improved to 21-6 overall and 17-5 in the CCAA. San Bernardino finished second in the CCAA to Cal State Bakersfield.
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The Tritons shot the ball poorly against Cal State San Bernardino, getting out-shot 42 percent to 25 percent, but managed to keep the score tied at halftime, 24-24.
UCSD improved its shooting percentage in the second half relative to Cal State San Bernardino, who was only shooting 18 percent as compared to UCSD’s 42 percent. Despite the fact that it was the Tritons’ second-lowest scoring game, their defensive performance held up and they managed to win, 49-40.
Senior guard Ali Ginn led the Tritons with 13 points and junior forward Margaret Johnson, coming off back-to-back double-doubles the previous weekend, added seven points and 10 rebounds. Johnson was named the CCAA player of the week for Feb. 23 through Feb. 29 for the double-doubles she posted in UCSD’s wins that weekend.
Sequoia Williams had a game-high 17 points for Cal State San Bernardino and grabbed 10 boards.
UCSD finished its season against a very tough Cal Poly Pomona team, and despite trailing throughout the first half, they rallied to tie the score, 33-33, before halftime.
The Tritons continued to play well at the start of the half as they went on a 5-0 run, but the momentum switched directions as the Broncos went on an 11-0 run that gave them a six point lead. The Broncos never looked back, as balanced scoring led to a 69-59 victory.
Cal Poly Pomona had five players score in double digits. Keila Beachem led the team with 13 points. The team’s top scorer (also the NCAA Division II leading scorer), Candice Allen, was held to 10 points on 2-16 shooting.
Junior center Stacy Bolton-Gallagher led UCSD with 18 points and 10 rebounds. Johnson added 12 points, and Johnson finished her season as UCSD’s top scorer and rebounder, averaging over 12 points a game and eight-and-a-half rebounds per game.
Senior forward Robyn Phillips, from Brea, Calif., and Ginn, who last weekend set the UCSD all-time scoring record and hails from Carlsbad, Calif., finished their regular-season UCSD careers.
