WOMEN’S BASKETBALL — UCSD hit RIMAC Arena last Saturday, determined to defend its historic win streak — and left nothing to chance against Cal State Stanislaus.
The Tritons notched an emphatic 72-38 victory over the Warriors, extending their season-long streak to 12 games. Ten different UCSD players made the score sheet for what soon became a very one-sided affair.
The team was buoyed by senior guard Annette Ilg, who scored a game-high 11 points. Sophomore guard Chelsea Carlisle, the conference’s leading scorer, didn’t reach double-digit scoring for the first time all season. However, she did contribute six assists and four steals to the winning effort.
The Tritons took the lead with 11:32 left in the first half, and had taken a nine-point advantage by halftime. CSU Stanislaus played aggressive defense, making 10 of its first-half points off UCSD turnovers; however, the team also conceded 17 Triton free-throw attempts off excessive fouling.
“We knew Stanislaus would come out with lots of energy and fire, and they did,” head coach Charity Elliot said. “I really thought in the first half that we were out-hustled.”
Any doubts of the game’s outcome were put to rest shortly after halftime: The Tritons came out with a 10-minute run of 26-2, punctuated by three consecutive Triton three-pointers — two from sophomore guard Daisy Feder and one from freshman forward Erin Grady.
Elliot said that rather than make any tactical changes at halftime, she pep-talked the team on focus and intensity.
“We didn’t change [any] `Xs and `Os at halftime,” Elliot said. “We really focused on picking up our defensive pressure; I thought that changed our mind-set and led to the second-half surge that we went on.”
Junior forward Tiffany Hunter added eight points onto the Triton score and grabbed a game-high 12 rebounds. The UCSD benchers nearly outscored the Warriors by themselves, racking up 32 points. Feder led the bench scorers with nine points — all from behind the arc.
The win against Stanislaus came on the tail of a strong performance against Chico State on Jan. 7, where the Tritons won 75-62. UCSD took a 22-point lead into halftime, and from there, never dropped within 13 points of the Wildcats. Carlisle scored 23 points, and Hunter tallied a double-double — 13 points and 13 rebounds — to lead the team.
The latest wins moved UCSD to 12-0 overall and 7-0 in the conference. The Tritons were ranked ninth nationally in Division-II by USA Today and the ESPN coach’s poll prior to the wins, and will no doubt move up in the rankings after last weekend’s performances.
Stanislaus fell to 2-8 overall and 1-5 in the CCAA.
The Tritons will host Cal State Monterey Bay at RIMAC Arena Thursday night at 5:30 p.m.
Readers can contact Liam Rose at [email protected].
