After a patchy start to the season, the UCSD Women’s Basketball team has put together its fifth straight win. The Tritons took a 63–52 win over CSU Dominguez Hills last Friday, Feb. 1 and topped CSU Los Angeles the following day.
On Friday, the Tritons won against CSU Dominguez Hills on the backs of UCSD’s Big Three: senior guards Daisy Feder and Emily Osga and junior forward Erin Dautremont.
Dautremont led the Tritons in the attack, finishing with 18 points, going 8-for-11 from the field and 2-for-3 from behind the arc. Osga recorded 16 points on top of four assists, while Feder, who struggled with her shot last Friday, going 3-for-22 from the field, was able to contribute eight rebounds and five assists.
UCSD led for the majority of the game against the Toros (6–8 in the CCAA), but loosened the reins only briefly midway into the second half.
“For 40 minutes, we were very competitive, and we had a lot of poise,” UCSD Head Coach Heidi VanEerveer said to the UCSD Athletics Department. “We made big plays both offensively and defensively down the stretch. We got big shots from Erin Dautremont, and Megan Perry did an excellent job on defense.”
Jockeying for position at the top of the table, the Tritons took a crucial win from CSU Los Angeles, solidifying UCSD’s second place rank and pushing the Golden Eagles down to fourth place.
Osga — named the CCAA Player of the Week — recorded a career-high 28 points to lead UCSD to the win.
The senior went a stellar 6-for-9 from behind the arc, along with seven rebounds and five assists.
“It was cool to score a career high against [CSU Los Angeles], but the more important thing was that we got the win,” Osga said.
Starting point guard Miranda Seto put away 11 points, in just her third conference performance recording in double digits.
“[Seto] got us going by pushing and getting different people involved,” VanDerveer said. “When she’s aggressive, which she was, she really sets the table for our shooters.”
The Tritons never relinquished the lead to the Golden Eagles during the game, stretching the lead to as many as 20 points in the second half.
The win marks UCSD’s fifth straight win, as well as its third straight game winning in double digits. Now that UCSD (11–3) has the luxury of playing six of its last eight games at home, just one game behind, it will look to challenge Chico State for the No. 1 rank.
“I think lately, we’ve been able to get more in a rhythm,” Osga said. “We can still pick up the pace a lot more and run the floor by getting rebounds and transitioning.”
The Tritons will face Humboldt State (5–9) this Friday, Feb. 8 at home on Spirit Night. The last time the two teams faced off, UCSD came away with a 71–54 win. The following day, UCSD faces Cal Poly Pomona, when it can expect a much tougher battle against the 9–5 Broncos.
“We’re so excited to be back home after three weeks away and we’re hoping to keep our winning streak going,” Osga said. “We’re really looking forward to playing at home, especially for Spirit Night.”
