The UC San Diego women’s basketball team has rolled through opponents over the winter break with no sign of slowing down. With their most recent win over Chico State in convincing fashion, 84–48, the Tritons improved to a perfect 9–0 record in California Collegiate Athletic Association conference play.
Out of the nine games, the Tritons have won by double-figures in six of those games. Cal State Los Angeles and Humboldt State were the two schools to give UCSD a run for its money as Cal State LA took the Tritons to overtime in their match up in December, 60–56, while UCSD came out with the narrow one point win, 64–63, against Humboldt. In both games, senior forward Dalayna Sampton played a vital role with two huge performances. The senior forward put up 27 points and 14 rebounds against Cal State LA and then followed it up with 22 points and 9 rebounds against Humboldt. Sampton is having a dominant year as she is averaging a double-double thus far with 14.7 points and 10.3 rebounds per game.
Another Triton having a solid season is redshirt sophomore forward Mikayla Williams who is nearly averaging a double-double with 12.9 points and 9.3 rebounds per game. The forward’s latest double-double came against Chico State, where she piled up 13 points to go along with 12 rebounds. Teammate junior guard Joleen Yang is also having a productive season on the offensive end with 9.5 points per game while shooting an impressive 49.3 percent from the three point line and 45.7 percent overall from the field. At the other guard position, senior Taylor Tanita helps the team as a facilitator as she is averaging 4.3 points with 6.1 assists per game.
Next up for the Tritons is a rematch against Cal State Monterey Bay on Thursday, Jan. 11th. The last time the teams faced off was in early December, and UCSD ended with a comfortable 76–58 win. They will be looking for the same result, away from home this time, as they hope to keep their winning streak going and extend it to 10 games unbeaten. Thursday’s tip-off in Monterey Bay is set for 5:30 p.m.
