Fifth-ranked Tritons defeat San Francisco State and Sonoma State in total team efforts and continue their road to the CCAA postseason.
The UCSD women’s basketball team now holds a three-game winning streak after defeating San Francisco State (0–18) 76–65 on Friday and Sonoma State (4–14) 79–55 on Saturday in California Collegiate Athletic Association matchups. UCSD has taken full possession of its postseason destiny, winning five of its last six games for a 14–9 overall record and a 12–6 record in the conference.
The Tritons got off to a slow start on Friday night and quickly trailed 13–7 with 14:32 left in the first half. UCSD responded in time, pushing back to take a 29–21 lead. However, San Francisco State managed a 17–6 run to lead UCSD 38–35 with 10 seconds left in the period before junior forward Farrah Shokoor got a tip-in off an offensive rebound to bring the score to 38–37 at halftime.
The game remained tightly contested through the first 10 minutes of the second half. A mid-range jumper from senior guard Miranda Seto gave the Tritons a 55–53 lead with 9:50 remaining in the game. The game opened up from there, with UCSD building a commanding eight-point lead at 74–62 before securing the win.
“I think that every time you play on the road — and this might sound cliche — but every team in our conference plays at a high level,” UCSD head coach Heidi VanDerveer said. “I think that our depth really makes a difference. The stadium was packed, and they played a very good game. We got stops, and once we establish our defense, it really helps our offense and that allowed us to get the separation we needed to get the win.”
The Tritons gained a 32–23 advantage on the boards en route to the victory. Senior forward McKennan Bertsch had a team-high 14 points while shooting 58.3 percent (7–12) from the floor. Shokoor compiled 10 points and nine rebounds against her former team. The Tritons had an impressive six players score in double figures, with Seto, senior center Dana Webster, redshirt freshman guard Taylor Tanita and junior guard Jamie Katuna also going over the 10-point mark.
“We can count on our backcourt of Miranda [Seto] and [senior guard] Steph[anie] Yano who played exceptionally,” VanDerveer told the UCSD Guardian. “I was really pleased about Taylor Tanita, who came in and who statistically had a great weekend. … And we have consistency in Farrah Shokoor; she averaged a double-double this weekend.”
On Saturday, UCSD came out in a dominant effort to take a 79–55 win against Sonoma State.
UCSD suffered another slow start as it fell behind early 11–5. However, a 22–6 run highlighted by four three-pointers gave UCSD a 27–17 lead with 5:49 left in the first half. After another shot from long distance, the Tritons took a strong 41–26 advantage into halftime.
The lead kept on growing in the next half as the Tritons rode a hot offensive night and an outstanding defensive game to win by a whopping 24 points. The Tritons shot 47.4 percent (27–57) from the floor and 50 percent (11–22) from behind the arc while holding the Seawolves to 28.3 percent (17–60) shooting and 23.5 percent (4–17) from three-point range.
Eleven players got on the scoring board for the Tritons as the Triton bench had a terrific game, outscoring the Seawolves’ bench 47–18. Shokoor had her 12th double-double of the season with 13 points and 12 rebounds. Webster added 13 points from the bench and sophomore guard Haley Anderson had 11 points, going 3–4 from three-point range.
“I think we have quality depth at really every position, and it is important because every game we have players really step up to play and consistently,” VanDerveer said. “We saw it especially on Saturday in such a win that everyone gets quality minutes.”
UCSD now sits in sole possession of fifth place in an ultra-competitive league that only allows the top-six squads into the postseason.
With the season winding down, the Tritons hope to maintain their hot streak as they return home to RIMAC Arena to face Cal State Dominguez Hills (16–2) on Friday, Feb. 20, and Cal State Los Angeles (8–10) on Saturday, with both tip-offs at 5:30 p.m.
