WOMEN’S BASKETBALL ‘mdash; Another compelling year has come and gone for head coach Charity Elliott’s team. After finishing their regular season with a 26-3 overall record and posting the best California Collegiate Athletic Association mark in six years, the Tritons were awarded the No. 3 seed in the 2009 NCAA Division-II Tournament.
Though UCSD beat Cal State Dominguez Hills in a nail-biter, the team ultimately fell to the University of Alaska Anchorage on March 14 in Seattle to end its season.
Prior to making its fourth consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance, the women’s basketball team suffered a disappointing 62-57 loss to Cal State San Bernardino in the CCAA Tournament.
‘We have to get back to playing our game and having fun,’ senior center Alexis Gaskin said before the tournament. ‘When we try too hard, it doesn’t work out because we start to play as individuals. So with this week to prepare for post season we can take a step back and build back up to what we can be ‘mdash; a great team that can go all the way.’
More true to form, the Tritons heated up in Seattle against the No. 6 seed CSUDH in the opening round of the West Regional on March 13.
Ahead 64-57 with just under three minutes to play, UCSD witnessed its seven-point advantage evaporate when the Toros scored eight unanswered points, taking the lead at 65-64. With just nine seconds left on the clock, Gaskin secured the vital rebound off Neka Mixon’s missed jumper to give the Tritons one last chance.
Triple-teamed by Toro defenders, junior guard Annette Ilg set the stage for UCSD’s miraculous finish, spinning left to nail a 17-foot jumper exactly as the buzzer sounded to deliver the thrilling 66-65 win.
The following night proved less exhilarating for the Tritons, when their season came to a close with a hard-fought loss to UAA. Trailing by as many as 10 points in the second half, the Tritons rallied to pull within two with a jumper from junior guard Leilani Martin.
With just minutes to play, the Tritons were unable to shake off the Seawolves’ narrow lead, suffering a heartbreaking 52-49 loss. Still, UCSD finished its season at 27-5, giving the Tritons much to celebrate.
Senior forward Michelle Osier ‘mdash; UCSD’s first All-American since Leora Juster in 2006-07 ‘mdash; was one of three players from the CCAA named to the 2009 NCAA Division-II State Farm Coaches’ Honorable Mention All-America Team.
Osier, who is UCSD’s career rebounding and steals leader, also took home the honors Most Valuable Player in the CCAA and Daktronics Division-II West Region Player of the Year.
‘Although we didn’t go out like we wanted, we definitely did not fail to make memories along the way,’ Osier said. ‘I’ve been playing sports since I was four, and I’ve never loved a team more in my life. These girls are amazing and just filled with so much passion. Even though we can’t call ourselves national champions, I would never give up being a part of something so special.’
Within a talent-st
udded team, guard Chelsea Carlisle was selected as CCAA Freshman of the Year, and Gaskin earned her first career all-conference selection after a prolific senior campaign in which she averaged 12.3 points and 6.4 rebounds in the regular season.’
In her second season at UCSD, Elliott took home Coach of the Year honors. The head coach groomed the Tritons to an impressive overall record of 26-3 during the regular season and a 19-1 mark in conference play ‘mdash; their best finish since UCSD’ joined the CCAA in 2000-01.
The Tritons also won 15 straight games from Dec. 20 to Feb. 13, one game shy of the program’s all-time mark for consecutive victories.
‘We definitely wouldn’t be where we are now if it weren’t for [Elliott] and the rest of our coaching staff,’ Gaskin said. ‘She, along with our assistant coaches, has put so much time into making us the best team we can be, and she has done such a tremendous job in preparing us for tough times. [Elliott] has helped strengthen our mental abilities by pushing us hard, showing us that we can accomplish anything when we put our minds to it. But it’s not just early preparation. She never lets us settle or lets us be satisfied.’
Although two of UCSD’s strongest players will graduate this spring, this year’s success points to a brighter future for women’s basketball.
‘I am very confident that UCSD will continue to be successful,’ Osier said. ‘Every girl on our team brings something different, but all of them bring the same fight, and that fight is what separates us from everyone else.
There is no doubt that we are going to be talented … I just hope UCSD never loses the fight.’
Readers can contact Brianna Lee at [email protected].