UC San Diego Women’s basketball (8–11, 4–4 Big West) hosted the UC Davis Aggies (9–9, 5–3 Big West) at LionTree Arena on Saturday afternoon. The Tritons entered Saturday with momentum after an 8-point road victory over UC Riverside. UC Davis, on the other hand, had something to prove after an 18-point loss to UC Irvine.
The Aggies’ return to LionTree Arena opened old wounds for some Tritons’ fans after last year’s 23-point blowout loss. UC Davis guards Evanne Turner and Tova Sabel combined for 44 points in that game, while UCSD mustered just 49 points as a team. Saturday presented an opportunity to turn over a new leaf, and the Tritons did just that.
Senior guard Parker Montgomery scored the Tritons’ first 5 points of the game. UC Davis went on an early 10–2 run, but the Tritons stormed back, courtesy of graduate student guard Denali Pinto’s 4-point play. Pinto, whilst being fouled, drilled an off-balance 3-point shot that stunned everyone in the crowd. Pinto’s magic was contagious, as the Tritons proceeded to go 7-7 from 3-point range to begin the game. Montgomery continued her dominant first quarter and ended with 10 points after the first frame.
The second quarter was all freshman guard Sumayah Sugapong. Sugapong began the second with a 3-pointer and an and-one layup to take the lead, 20–19. Junior guard Izzy Forsyth followed with a 3-pointer of her own, as the Tritons went on a 9–0 run. UC Davis gathered themselves and closed the gap, but Sugapong wasn’t done. The freshman sank a mid-range jumpshot and a 3-pointer to close an 11-point second quarter. Sugapong and Montogmery combined for 21 of the Tritons’ 33 first half points.
Despite Sugapong’s heroics and the Tritons’ lights-out shooting, the Aggies would not go away. Megan Norris and Mazatlan Harris combined for 18 points in the first half, and UC Davis led 34–33 at the half. Despite UCSD shooting 50% from the field and 77.8% from beyond the arc, the Tritons still trailed at halftime. The Tritons gave it their all in the first half, and it showed in the second. As the halftime buzzer sounded, the DJ ominously foreshadowed the second half’s theme by playing Rihanna’s “SOS.”
UC Davis opened on an 8–0 run, and the Tritons couldn’t get anything to fall. It was night and day for the Tritons in the second half, as they shot 0-7 from the field and 0-3 from deep to begin the third quarter. It was like someone swapped the hoop for a thimble.
Fortunately, they recovered in the final two minutes of the third. Forsyth nailed her second 3-pointer of the game, and the Tritons trailed 46-42 heading into the fourth quarter.
UC Davis opened the fourth like they did the third, on an 8-0 run. The Tritons seemingly ran out of energy in the fourth and scored just 7 points in the final 10 minutes of the game. After a jaw-dropping seven 3-pointers in the first half, UCSD made just one in the entire second half. UC Davis won the game, 62–49.
Ultimately, it was a tale of two drastically different halves for the Tritons. In the first half, the rim looked like a hula hoop to nearly anyone who attempted a shot, while in the second the Tritons couldn’t hit water if they fell out of a boat.
The UCSD women are going through a rough patch, but better days are on the horizon. On Thursday, the Tritons travel to the San Fernando Valley to take on the Cal State Northridge Matadors, losers of their last 17. They then return home Saturday to face Long Beach State on National Girls and Women in Sports Day.
