WOMEN’S BASKETBALL — The UCSD women’s basketball team had its six-game winning streak snapped this week, suffering a last-second loss against Cal State San Bernardino on Thursday and a disappointing 75-82 defeat against Cal Poly Pomona on Saturday.

Against Cal State San Bernardino, the Tritons battled to take a four-point lead with 2:30 remaining. But back-to-back jumpers from Coyote forward Kymberly Ooten — coupled with a few Triton turnovers and a sure performance from Coyote guard Eisha Shepherd — allowed San Bernardino to take the victory.

With 3.4 seconds left and the game tied at 58 points, Shepherd drove to the hole, putting away a lay-up to clinch the 60-58 win for the Coyotes.

“We had about three turnovers in a row,” head coach Charity Elliott said. “That certainly gave them the momentum, and they came down and got some easy shots. On that last possession, we just allowed too much dribble penetration. She got too deep into the paint and she hit a tough shot. It is what it is. I feel like we got outworked tonight, and that’s what happens when you get outworked.”

Junior guard Chelsea Carlisle was the Tritons’ leading scorer on the night. Despite going 6-of-19, the guard was still able to finish with 15 points to go along with her four rebounds, three assists and three steals. Sophomore forward Erin Grady was the only other Triton to get in double digits, tallying 13 points.

Shepherd went 8-of-17 for a game-high 16 points. Coyote senior Sabrina Gonzalez also finished the game with 13 points, while junior Jessica Dela Cruz tallied 12 points coming off the bench.

The usual spot-on shooting from the Tritons — who went a meager 38 percent from the field — was missing, although the performance from Cal State San Bernardino was hardly better. The Coyotes shot 24 of 59 on the night, finishing with 40 percent from the floor.

In the dying minutes of the game, the Coyotes fielded an experienced squad — four  seniors and one junior — that Elliott said helped the Coyotes pull out the win.

“They’re a team of juniors and seniors and transfers and experience,” Ellliott said. “They handle things very well, and obviously their point guard tonight Shepherd had a great, great game and hit some clutch shots that they needed.”

In the final match of their four-game homestead, the Tritons fell to Cal Poly Pomona — a squad which boasts a 10-1 CCAA record an currently sits second in the conference — in a frustrating 75-82 loss.

The Broncos got off to a quick start going on a 3-11 run spearheaded by senior guard Reyana Colson — the CCAA’s leading scorer. Despite going 6-of-21 from the field, Colson finished 10-13 from the line and had three three-pointers to lead all scorers with 25 points.

The Tritons went on a 12-4 run to begin the second half, but the Broncos responded by scoring 17 straight points to go up 74-64.

The Tritons threw out a press to catch up to within four points with less than a minute left, but were unable to pull any closer.

“In the second half, we were struggling,” Elliott said. “We struggle when we get up by a bit. I don’t know if we relax. In the end we were just making some poor decisions — shot selection, turnovers.”

Junior center Lauren Freidenberg led the Tritons in scoring, putting away 20 points and collecting 10 boards to pick up her third double-double of the season.

“The one player that I’m so proud of tonight is Lauren Freidenberg,” Elliott said. “This was maybe a career night for her. We needed everybody to have her mentality out there tonight.”

With the two losses, UCSD moves to 8-4 in the CCAA, tying with Chico State for the fourth.

The Tritons will now head north to take on Sonoma State on Thursday Jan. 27, and Humboldt State on Saturday Jan. 29.

Readers can contact Rachel Uda at [email protected]