Women’s Basketball — The Tritons ended the first half of
their California Collegiate Athletic Association schedule with two solid wins
at home, pushing their conference record to 7-3. UCSD used a strong second half
to defeat Cal State Monterey Bay by a score of 68-51 on Jan. 26, and posted a
64-58 victory over San Francisco State on Jan. 25 in front of a large crowd on
Spirit Night. The Tritons are currently tied for third place in the CCAA — just
one game out of first place going into their next contest.
UCSD burst out of the gates against Cal State Monterey Bay,
taking a 12-2 lead with three-point baskets from sophomore forward Erin Noonan
and senior guard Meaghan Noud. After the Otters scored a basket, Noud hit
another three-pointer, giving the Tritons a 15-4 lead with
game for most of the first half, extending its lead to 15 points with
three-pointer from freshman guard Mollie McIntyre.
The small and quick
Otters stormed back into the game, shooting well from beyond the arc and ending
the half on a 16-6 run to cut the Tritons’ lead to three.
According to UCSD head coach Charity Elliot, the Otters’ run
was the result of a letup from the Tritons.
“We got complacent in the middle of the first half and
allowed them to climb back into the game,” Elliot said. “You have to give [the
Otters] credit because they kept playing hard.”
The Tritons, holding on to a 28-25 lead, answered Cal State
Monterey Bay’s run with a run of their own to start the second half of the
game. After junior forward Michelle Osier collected an offensive rebound,
senior guard Alexis Mezzetta rattled in a jump shot, and the Tritons continued
their surge by scoring nine unanswered points, giving them a 37-25 lead with
The Tritons continued their success, blocking the Otters’
attempts to get back into the contest. With the Otters double-teaming UCSD’s
centers, the Tritons consistently found open players on the outside for
uncontested shots. The Tritons were also able to execute several baseline
drives, which resulted in layups and trips to the foul line for UCSD.
With the Tritons in complete control of the game in the
second half, UCSD tapped into its bench, which was very productive in the game.
“We got contributions all around and we used everyone,” Noud
said. “That makes for a successful game.”
Noud had a game-high 22 points for the Tritons with Osier
being the only other Triton in double digits for scoring. Osier had a great
all-around game, scoring 13 points, collecting 20 rebounds and adding three
steals.
The Tritons’ win over
came in front of a considerably smaller crowd than their victory over
Francisco
one night earlier. UCSD pulled out the close win over the Gators in front of a
large crowd of 1,220 spectators on the university’s annual Spirit Night.
The Tritons found themselves in an 8-2 hole to start the
game, missing three three-point attempts in the first two minutes of the game.
UCSD managed to stay close in the game, not giving the Gators a chance to open
up a larger lead in the contest. The two teams battled for most of the first
half, tying the game on four occasions.
With the game tied at 19 with 3:55 to play in the first
half, the Tritons took control of the game on baskets from freshman forward
Neyra Valenzuela, senior center Alexis Gaskin and a three-pointer from
Mezzetta. With one second left in the half, Noonan’s jump shot missed the mark
and Valenzuela threw the ball back up and into the basket to give the Tritons a
30-21 lead at halftime.
Noonan opened up the scoring for the Tritons in the second
half with a midrange jump shot to give the Tritons a 32-21 lead, and UCSD
extended the margin to 43-29 with 13:17 left in regulation.
The Gators, however, remained resilient and pecked away at
the Tritons’ lead during the final 13 minutes of the game.
Francisco
converted on a three-point play with
remaining to cut the Tritons’ lead to 50-45. The Tritons, with the crowd behind
them, shot the ball well from the free-throw line late in the game and held off
the Gators in their comeback attempt.
Elliot said that Triton Tide was much appreciated in staving
off the Gators.
“I really think the crowd made the difference in the last
five minutes of the game,” Elliott said. “They were yelling and screaming and
were into the game.”
Noud, Osier, Mezzetta and Gaskin all scored in double
digits, with Noud’s 14 points leading all Tritons. Noonan scored seven points
while collecting nine rebounds and Valenzuela added six points off the bench.
The win on Spirit Night was special for the players because
it was one of the few times this season that the Tritons could play in front of
such a large crowd.
“We loved having the crowd and we loved the fans,” Noud
said. “It’s always my favorite home game of the year. It’s great having the
support from our peers.”
UCSD’s next game on the road against first-place
a difficult contest for the Tritons, who hope to make up the one game that
separates them from first place in the CCAA.
“
very well at home and they shoot well,” Noud said. “They don’t lose often at
home.”
The Tritons will follow that game with a road contest
against Cal State Stanislaus on Feb. 2. UCSD defeated both of these teams
earlier this season and hopes to sweep both of the season series with victories
this weekend.
