WOMEN’S BASKETBALL ‘mdash; Wrapping up their road trip with a perfect 4-0 mark, the 12th ranked Tritons extended their winning streak over the weekend after defeating Cal State Dominguez Hills 69-63 on Feb. 6 and Cal State Los Angeles 84-66 on Feb. 7. UCSD now boasts an impressive record of 21-2 overall and an undefeated 14-0 in California Collegiate Athletic Association play.
Senior forward Michelle Osier was the first to score against Cal State Los Angeles, nailing a three-pointer two minutes into the first half. Ahead by as many as eight points with 12 minutes left to play, UCSD then went on a 15-0 run, leaving the Golden Eagles stuck in their insurmountable deficit as the Tritons climbed to a 35-12 lead.
‘Our defensive strategy is always the same: we’re relentless, scrappy, and play team D. We always have each other’s backs,’ Osier said.’
Only halfway through the game, UCSD already tasted victory when a layup by freshman guard Chelsea Carlisle capped UCSD’s advantage at 51-26.
Unable to overcome the Tritons’ first-half dominance, the Eagles were forced to play a futile game of catch-up the rest of the way out. Cal State Los Angeles gave it one more go, trimming the lead down to 72-62 with four and a half minutes to play, but the Tritons maintained control and pulled away with a dominating 84-66 victory.
Osier, a three time All-CCAA First Team selection, turned in another great performance, leading the Triton scorers with 25 points, going 9-for-16 from the floor, converting all six of her free throws and hauling in a game-high seven rebounds. Similarly, junior guard Leilani Martin and Carlisle, the reigning CCAA Player of the Week, also reached double figures at 17 and 15 points apiece, respectively.
Friday’s game against Cal State Dominguez Hills proved to be a closer contest for UCSD. The Tritons, who led 40-29 before the half, faced a tighter Toro defense after halftime ‘mdash; UCSD shot just 22 percent from the field in the second, down from 48 percent in the first. With 1:38 left in regulation, a jumper by Toro sophomore post Sherrie Hughes made it a one-point game at 57-58. The Tritons regrouped with an energized spurt to finish the game, as four different players put points on the board. As the clock trickled down to 30 seconds, the Tritons once again shot well from the line ‘mdash; junior guard Annette Ilg, senior center Alexis Gaskin and Osier connected on each of their free throw attempts, sealing the win for the Tritons at 63-69.
‘When it comes down to those last critical moments, we take one possession at a time, one stop at a time, and then work together on getting the best offensive possession,’ Gaskin said.
Ilg had a big night, scoring a career-high 21 points. Osier followed with 17, while Gaskin and Martin pitched in 10 points each. The dual victories put this year’s squad in the realm of making history as the women’s team stands two wins shy of tying the program’s all-time mark of 16 consecutive victories ‘mdash; a record that was set in the 1997-98 season. Moreover, UCSD solidified their place atop the CCAA standings with their flawless 14-0 record.
‘Our success is a reflection of all the work we have put in,’ Gaskin said. ‘For the returners, we set out to win and put in the long hours in the gym and weight room since last April. For our first-year Tritons, they saw our enthusiasm and determination and brought in their own, as well as worked hard before coming in. So since we’ve been together we have only seen tremendous growth.’
This week the Tritons return to RIMAC Arena to face Cal Poly Pomona on Feb. 13 and Cal State San Bernardino on Feb. 14.
‘We are very excited about how we’ve started but we are also very aware of how much more basketball there is left to play,’ head coach Charity Elliott said. ‘We are also trying to stay focus
ed on the little effort things because we can still get better.” ‘
Readers can contact Brianna Lee at [email protected].