The UCSD women’s basketball team strengthened its case for hosting the regional tournament by winning two games on the road last weekend. The Tritons followed up their 75-62 win against Cal Poly Pomona on Feb. 23 with a 68-51 win against Cal State San Bernardino on Feb. 24.
Sophomore forward Michelle Osier sends up a high shot with a hand in her face against Cal State Los Angeles on Feb. 17. The Triton’s recent success has given them a one-game lead in the CCAA standings.
With only two games left in the regular season, the Tritons need to keep their one-game lead over Chico State in the California Collegiate Athletic Association standings in order to host the regional tournament next month.
Unlike their 60-47 loss to Cal State San Bernardino earlier in the season, where the Coyotes led by 12 points at halftime, the Tritons played well early in the game and took a 22-8 lead midway through the first half. Senior guard Leora Juster and sophomore forward Michelle Osier led the way for the Tritons early on, placing UCSD’s first 15 points on the board.
The Tritons held on to a five-point lead at the end of the first half, with contributions from senior forward Hillary Hansen, junior center Jillian Ricks and sophomore center Alexis Gaskin.
Junior forward Jillian Ricks and the Tritons dominated their CCAA opponents this weekend, topping Cal Poly Pomona 75-62 on Feb. 23 and Cal State San Bernardino 68-51 on Feb. 24.
With Ricks in foul trouble, Gaskin played a total of 27 minutes in the game, well above her season average of 16.3 minutes.
“”Alexis Gaskin played really well off the bench for us,”” junior forward Alexis Mezzetta said. “”Unfortunately, our starting players were in foul trouble. She did a great job coming in and guarding their best player.””
Osier and Juster’s early successes carried over to the second half, allowing the Tritons to pull away from the Coyotes. Osier played impressively on both sides of the court, finishing the game with 16 points and 13 rebounds. Juster added a game-high 25 points to UCSD’s victory.
“”Osier had a great game offensively and defensively,”” Mezzetta said. “”On defense, she got her hands on a lot of balls, getting tips and creating turnovers. On offense … she was 4-for-5 from three-point range.””
Ricks and Gaskin had the tough assignment of guarding Cal State San Bernardino center Vanessa Wilt, who averages 18.4 points per game. Although Wilt scored 18 points, the Tritons limited her to only 10 shot attempts.
“”We talked a lot about fronting [Wilt] and we tried to shut her down and keep her below her average,”” Osier said. “”We practiced all week to play man-to-man defense, which we don’t play very much. It was really effective.””
The Tritons had three players scoring in double digits in their 75-62 win against Cal Poly Pomona.
Juster scored a game-high 25 points to make her total for the weekend an even 50. Osier added 17 points and Hansen scored 11 points for the Tritons.
The Tritons will come back home to play Cal State Monterey Bay on March 3 and San Francisco State on March 4.
With two more wins, UCSD would be guaranteed the top seed in the regional tournament and would have the advantage of hosting. Considering their perfect road record, hosting the regional tournament would not be crucial to the Tritons’ success in the tournament. Nevertheless, the Tritons are determined to end the season on a high note.
“”We’re just going to come out, play hard and play smart,”” Osier said. “”We just need to stay healthy, conserve energy and get two wins.””
The game against San Francisco State, the last contest of the regular season, will be Senior Night for the Tritons.
“”We have four amazing seniors this year,”” Mezzetta said. “”It should be a really fun atmosphere for the seniors and for everyone else too.””
