In Sunday afternoon’s contest at LionTree Arena, UC San Diego women’s basketball (1-4, 0-0 Big West) fell to the Fresno State Bulldogs (4-1, 0-0 Mountain West), 65-53. The Tritons took the court seeking to avenge Thursday’s double overtime loss against Saint Mary’s and snap their three-game losing streak.
Senior forward Kayanna Spriggs hit a stop-and-start layup to open the day’s scoring. She added points from a set of foul shots to which the red-clad visitors responded with a pair of 3-pointers. Nearly five minutes into the contest, a floater from junior guard Sabrina Ma found the net, but that marked the end of UCSD’s scoring for the rest of the quarter.
Meanwhile, the visiting Bulldogs unleashed an early aerial assault. Their first three field goals were launched from beyond or just within the three-point line, previewing a disciplined offensive purview predicated on hunting for long-distance shot attempts.
Another Fresno State 3-pointer fell and the Tritons huddled for time, trailing 15-6. Looking to attack the paint, Spriggs and sophomore guard Sumayah Sugapong emerged to add points that cut into the Bulldogs’ lead.
Sugapong capitalized on a hard take before Spriggs flipped in a close-range shot assisted by sophomore guard Eri Blithikioti, who set up Ma for a crowd-invigorating 3-point missile. UCSD worked the ball inside with greater regularity, racking up 20 points in the paint by the end of the game. Spriggs catalyzed much of the energy from the low post. Soaring for a rebound and sent careening to the hardwood underneath her own basket, she flashed a brief, wry smile before scrambling to her feet and hustling back on defense.
Fresno State continued to distribute the ball around the perimeter, and their efforts were rewarded by sharp marksmanship. Around six minutes remained in the first half when senior center Emma Svoboda gathered a miss and offered a strong inside shot, bringing the score to 28-18 in favor of the visitors. Fresno State continued their outside play as life in the painted areas grew chippy for both sides.
Redshirt sophomore guard Gracie Gallegos snared a loose ball and looked like Ed Reed gearing up to take it the distance, but the play was ruled dead on account of a foul. Another steal turned into a Triton break towards the basket, which the visitors promptly stonewalled. The Bulldogs coolly flipped the court, gunning the ball ahead to one of their ace sharpshooters who calmly stepped into a debilitating 3-pointer. Svoboda lined up a wayward, last-second heave and the Tritons took a 33-23 halftime deficit to the locker room.
Ma drained three free throws to open the second half, then powered through a foul to hit a shot and the ensuing free throw. The former San Jose State Spartan led the Tritons with 22 points on the day, aided by decisive drives that netted 10 free throw attempts – 9 of which she converted. On one aggressive take, she muscled her way inside, where a Bulldog sent her reeling to the floor. Ma rose to her feet, gathered herself, and approached the line. “Why are we tripping people?” someone yelled from the stands. “That’s not nice.”
With around seven minutes remaining in the third quarter, the Tritons trailed 35-29. Having turned the once-blowout into a two-possession game, the home team now sought to make a late, final push for the win. Fresno State, right on cue, nailed another 3-point strike, but redshirt sophomore guard Rosa Smith found Spriggs for a responding bucket. The unfettered Bulldogs sauntered back, found space, and hurled another three. They just couldn’t miss, and the lead swelled again.
Less than a minute remained in the third, as a Bulldog toed the charity stripe in hostile territory. “You should miss it,” suggested a fan. The crowd erupted watching the shot carom off. The second free throw was true, momentarily silencing the crowd, until Ma drilled a 3-pointer to end the quarter. With 10 minutes remaining, the Tritons were down by only 9 points.
Any chance of a comeback now hinged on error-free execution down the homestretch — a feat UCSD quickly found untenable against a rangy opponent on this chilly afternoon. A foul followed by a travel ended consecutive home team possessions, instead leading to points for Fresno State. Yet, as the deficit crept up, the Tritons clung tightly to their controllables: effort and energy. Gallegos hit a Dirk-like fadeaway jumper, and graduate student guard Parker Montgomery picked a Bulldog pocket that materialized in a Svoboda field goal.
Fourth quarter minutes ticked away, as the visitors looked on with growing hunger for a coffin-nailing 3-pointer that would extinguish the pesky Triton spirit. They flung attempts but were unable to find one. Ma split a pair of free throws, and though UCSD unearthed several encouraging scoring opportunities, Fresno State’s lead promised to hold for the remainder of the afternoon.
After hosting four out of their first five games, the Tritons will travel to Colorado on Friday, Nov. 22, aiming to steady their season against the Air Force Falcons. They will then face Denver on Sunday, Nov. 24, before heading to Northern California for a matchup at Stanford on Nov. 29.
