On Friday, Nov. 28, UC San Diego women’s basketball (3-4, 0-0 Big West) fell 67-50 to No. 22 Washington (7-0, 0-0 Big 10), the Tritons’ first nationally-ranked opponent since transitioning to Division I. The Tritons led throughout much of the first half, in large part thanks to 15 points from redshirt junior guard Rosa Smith. However, UCSD ran out of firepower in the fourth quarter as Washington surged ahead to a comfortable double-digit victory.

The Tritons entered the game as underdogs, with Bart Torvik estimating a 3% chance of a UCSD victory. The Huskies jumped out to an early 5-0 lead, seemingly on pace for their expected victory.

Then, the Tritons scored 16 straight points. Smith, who hails from nearby Kirkland, Washington, scored an and-one while falling to get the Tritons on the board. A banked 3-pointer from senior guard Sabrina Ma followed, and a few possessions later, junior center Erin Condron scored a banked three as well — her first triple of the season. While the Huskies would snap the Triton run and trim the lead to six, Smith scored a deep three from the logo as time expired to give the Tritons a 21-12 advantage after one quarter.

However, the tide quickly turned Washington’s favor as it chipped away at the Triton advantage. A 9-0 run in the third quarter, capped by back-to-back triples from Husky sophomore guard Avery Howell, saw Washington take the lead. While the Tritons remained in striking distance, an 8-0 Husky run to end the game resigned UCSD to a 67-50 defeat.

The loss drops the Tritons to 3-4, under .500 at the seven-game mark for the sixth straight season. UCSD’s two-game trip to the Pacific Northwest was more successful on Sunday, Nov. 30, with a 94-64 win against Portland State. The Tritons will take on Long Beach State on Saturday, Dec. 6, for their first Big West game of the season.