WOMEN’S BASKETBALL — After starting out the season with a
perfect 8-0 record, the No. 12 UCSD women’s basketball team has struggled as of
late, losing four of its last six games to enter the significant part of the
Tritons’ CCAA schedule with an overall record of 10-4. The Tritons’ latest loss
came at Humboldt State on Jan. 5, when they were blown out by 18 points. Just a
day earlier, the Tritons took their third loss by another embarrassing margin,
losing 58-41 to Sonoma State University on Jan. 4. With the two losses coming
against CCAA teams, UCSD’s conference record falls to 2-2, a major
disappointment given the high expectations surrounding the talented team
heading into the season.
“We had a tough weekend,” head coach Charity Elliott said.
“We’re trying to get back to basics after a couple of tough games.”
UCSD managed to keep pace with Humboldt State for the first
seven minutes of the game despite missing several key shot attempts. The poor
shooting caught up to the Tritons midway through the first half, however, as
Humboldt State began an offensive push that UCSD had no answer for. With the
score 8-7 in favor of Humboldt State and 13:36 left in the first half, the
Lumberjacks went on a 11-0 run that spanned nearly five minutes to put the
Tritons down by 12 points.
UCSD’s shooting struggles continued throughout the half,
including a span in which the Tritons missed seven straight field goal attempts
and two free throw attempts. When the first half ended, the Tritons found
themselves down 33-21, a manageable deficit considering the extent of the
team’s shooting woes.
Senior forward Meaghan Noud opened up the second half by
sinking a three-point shot, cutting Humboldt State’s lead down to single
digits. However, the Lumberjacks continued their balanced offensive attack,
working hard for points in the paint and effectively shooting long-range jump
shots, which left the Tritons little room to come back.
While its defense struggled, UCSD’s offense picked up the
pace after halftime, with Noud scoring 12 quick points in the second half.
Unfortunately for the Tritons, the offensive efforts proved to be too little
too late against Humboldt State, leaving UCSD with a 70-52 defeat.
UCSD shot 39 percent from the field, including a mere 32
percent in the first half. Noud was the leading scorer for the Tritons,
contributing 25 points as no other Tritons scored in double digits.
The Tritons faced Sonoma State on the road one day earlier and once again
found themselves playing catch-up. The game remained close in the first half as
both teams fell victim to poor shooting. The Tritons held on because of their
three-pointers, shooting 4-of-9 from behind the arc to make up for their
offensive struggles elsewhere on the floor.
The teams went back and forth throughout the first half and
the Seawolves entered the break holding onto a 25-22 lead.
In the second half, the Tritons continued their shooting
struggles while Sonoma State’s offense improved. The Seawolves attacked the
offensive glass, earning offensive rebounds that led to second-chance points
and drew several fouls. In contrast, the Tritons settled for jump shots and
only earned one free-throw attempt the entire game.
The Tritons only managed to shoot 30 percent from the field
in the game with junior forward Michelle Osier and senior center Alexis Gaskin
each netting 12 points to lead the team.
After starting out their season with a perfect 8-0 record,
the Tritons suffered their first loss to Central Washington University at the
Western Washington University Shootout on Dec. 18. The Tritons followed up that
loss with a victory over Western Washington University, the first of two wins
over the Vikings this season. UCSD’s only other loss before the recent CCAA
road losses was against Seattle Pacific University on Dec. 28 by a score of
75-65.
“Right now we need to focus on our gameplan and get ready
for next weekend,” Elliott said.
The Tritons will take their 10-4 record on the road against
CSU Dominguez Hills on Jan. 11 and CSU Los Angeles on Jan. 12.
