The UCSD women’s basketball team extended its winning streak to four with a league victory over the No. 12 Chico State Wildcats, 79-77, on Jan. 8. The Tritons continued their impressive season with the slim victory, which moved them into a second-place tie in the California Collegiate Athletic Association with a 3-1 league mark.
Junior guard Leora Juster’s 26 points, 7 assists and 4 rebounds carried the Tritons to a 79-77 victory over the No. 12 Wildcats. With the win, the Tritons moved into a second-place tie in the league with Chico State and improved to 8-2 overall, their best start since moving to Division II.
With the win, the Tritons also improved their overall record to 8-2, going into their next league match versus Cal State San Bernardino on the road on Jan. 11. They earned the crucial third league win in large part due to junior guard Leora Juster’s 26 points, seven assists and four boards in a game that saw numerous lead changes. But it was freshman forward Michelle Osier’s two late free throws that clinched the victory, improving the Tritons lead to four with 28 seconds left.
Neither team took large leads throughout the game, staying even at the break with 49 points each. The first half proved to the Tritons that they could hang with the ranked teams and that they would control their own destiny in the second half.
They did just that, holding the Wildcats to 11-of-39 shooting in the second half, totaling 30 points. The Tritons also forced eight turnovers after halftime to make up for their poor three-point shooting, which was 1-of-7 in the second half.
Despite their underwhelming outside shooting, the Tritons gunned an impressive .477 from the floor while holding the Wildcats to .384 shooting. Juster’s 26 points put the Tritons on top, but Osier added 12 points and 11 rebounds for a double-double — and her late free throws proved to be gamewinners. Considering that the Tritons shot a mere 7-of-12 from the charity stripe in the first half, Osier’s free throws were anything but automatic. After sinking her free shots to give the Tritons the 79-75 lead, the Wildcats hit one last shot with 11 seconds left to put them within two points. However, their final prayer of a three-point shot by Amy Van Hollebeke missed to give the Tritons their first win over ranked opponents this year.
The victory also gives UCSD, under first-year head coach Janell Jones, itsbest start since moving to Division II. Next, the Tritons will have a chance to improve their historical start when they hit the road to face Cal State San Bernardino on Jan. 11.
