WOMEN’S BASKETBALL — The Tritons struggled in the second
half after leading for the entire first half of their March 15 West Regional
semifinal game against No. 2 Seattle Pacific University, losing the contest
76-67 and ending their season with a 25-10 record.
The Tritons faced a formidable team that had not lost a game
all year and, for much of the game, it looked like UCSD would end the Falcons’
perfect season. The Tritons scored the first points on sophomore forward Erin
Noonan’s jumper and built a 15-6 lead with
left in the half. Backed by a strong half from Noonan, UCSD took a 35-29 lead
into the break.
The Tritons continued to dominate in the second half, taking
their first double-digit lead of the game with
left in regulation off of junior forward Michelle Osier’s layup. With
onto a 50-40 lead, the Falcons fought back with seven unanswered points that
cut UCSD’s lead down to 50-47.
A converted free throw gave Seattle Pacific its first lead
with
Falcons never looked back from that point. The Tritons struggled to knock down
their shots and keep possession of the ball in the last five minutes of the
game, allowing the Falcons to steal the win.
Despite losing, the Tritons played a tough game against an
undefeated team that they have never beaten in
“We dominated the game and lost it in the last five
minutes,” Osier said. “It was still fun playing against Seattle Pacific, who
was 28-0. From start to finish, we had them on their heels.”
Four of UCSD’s five starters had double-digit-scoring games
while the fifth starter, senior point guard Alexis Mezzetta, posted 12 assists
in addition to her nine rebounds. Osier and senior forward Meaghan Noud led the
scoring for the Tritons with 18 points each. Osier also pulled down 12 rebounds
for UCSD in the losing effort.
“We didn’t play at our best some of the time against Seattle
Pacific, but we had some standout performances even though we lost,” Noud said.
The first game of the Regional Tournament that sent the
Tritons to the semifinal game pitted them against
victories the first two times these teams met this season, and the third
meeting was no different.
The teams went back and forth for most of the first half,
with neither controlling the game. With the score tied 28-28 and 4:28 left in
the first half, the Tritons used scores from Noud, Osier and senior center
Alexis Gaskin to enter the break with a 35-30 lead.
The two teams continued to battle, and with
onto a 43-40 lead, Noud’s three-pointer gave the Tritons a six-point lead. UCSD
extended its lead, outscoring the Coyotes 16-6 in the last 10 minutes of the
contest to win and advance to the regional semifinals.
“We shut down their best player and held her to far below
her average,” Osier said. “We dominated the game — they never had a chance.
Even sometimes when the score was close, we were still dominating.”
UCSD held Cal State San Bernardino center and CCAA Player of
the Year Vanessa Wilt to four points and no Coyote scored in double digits.
Noud led the Tritons with 23 points while Mezzetta had a game-high 10 assists
running the point.
The Tritons ended their season with 25 wins — the second
best in the program’s history — but were unable to repeat last season’s
historic 27-win team that was one of the last eight teams standing in the NCAA
tournament.
“I expected a lot from our team because we have a lot of
talent and experience,” Noud said. “I’m still impressed with how far we went —
a lot of really good teams don’t get as far as we did.”
