It didn’t take long for the UCSD women’s basketball team to push back into gear after winter break, further improving its record to 10-2 on the season and 5-1 in California Collegiate Athletic Association play.
They remain tied for first place in league standings with Cal State Bakersfield, Chico State and Cal State Los Angeles, all of which won on Jan. 14. The Tritons finished off the week with a win on Wednesday over Cal State San Bernardino, 65-59, and again on Saturday when they dominated Cal State Monterey Bay in a whopping 82-69 contest to continue what is now a six-game winning streak.
So is this merely a run of luck or the results of decisive play?
“It wasn’t luck at all,” said freshman Michelle Osier, who helped lead the team in scoring against the Otters. “Our coach prepares us for each team we are about to play and with all the talent and hard work each girl brings to the team, we are bound to be successful.”
Sophomore forward Alexis Mezzetta agrees. “We have been able to win our last six games by executing our game plan each night and out-working our opponents,” she said.
The game on Jan. 11 was very close, but the Tritons managed to deliver a win with a heart-stopping finish.
“San Bernadino’s defense was horrid and we had the momentum the whole time and a comfortable lead, but we made a few mistakes at the end which happens sometimes,” junior guard Leora Juster said.
Down by 11 points with four minutes, 45 seconds on the clock, the Coyotes gained on the Tritons, coming to 63-56. They followed with a three-pointer by Desirae Martinez to bring the team within four points. After another missed UCSD free throw with 28 seconds left, Mezzetta ripped the ball from the Coyotes for a steal and finished with a sweet lay-up and an even sweeter win.
Even the scoreboard must have broken a sweat on Saturday with five UCSD players scoring in the double digits. Juster, who was last week’s CCAA Player of the Week, and Osier led the pack with 19 points apiece. Freshman forward Meaghan Noud contributed 15 points, while junior forward Hillary Hansen and sophomore forward Briana Hinga added 11 and 10, respectively.
Juster revealed her secret to her remarkable shooting consistency.
“It seems like when I’m having an off night I still get lots of easy points from free-throws and such,” she said. “I also know that if I score an adequate amount of points, the team is more likely to win, so I don’t second-guess my shots as often as in the past.”
As for the win over CSUMB, she said, “We got so many tips and touches and steals that they never could get a good rhythm going and we got a large lead due to our good defense.”
The Tritons hope they can execute many of these same strategies in their upcoming home games against Cal State Dominguez Hills and Cal Poly Pomona on Jan. 20 and Jan. 21, respectively. Osier said she hopes for a good crowd turnout this weekend.
“We plan on continuing our winning streak,” she said. “UCSD has no football team right now, so of course women’s basketball is the next best thing.”
