Setting the Stage
With an overall record of 25-4 and a second straight California Collegiate Athletic Association title under their belts, the 12th-ranked UC San Diego women's basketball team will make a fifth consecutive NCAA Division II Basketball Championship appearance this weekend in Seattle. The Tritons were awarded the No. 2 seed in the 2010 West Regional field and will face No. 7 Humboldt State for the third time in as many weeks in the opening round on Friday. Tipoff is slated for 2:30 p.m. at Seattle Pacific's Royal Brougham Pavilion, with the winner of the UCSD-HSU clash advancing to meet the winner of No. 3 seed Western Washington and sixth-seeded Chico State in the semifinal round on Saturday. The regional championship game will be contested on Monday at 7:00 p.m.

For the Record
UCSD enters this week's West Regional having won 25 of 29 games in 2009-10. The Tritons were the class of the CCAA once again during the regular season, posting a 19-3 record in conference play to claim a second straight league crown and the top seed in last week's CCAA Tournament. UCSD easily dispatched No. 8 seed Cal State Dominguez Hills 73-48 at home in the opening round and then traveled to Humboldt State for the semifinals, where the hot-shooting Lumberjacks came out on top, 82-78. The Tritons have put together all kinds of streaks this season, winning their first 14 games of the year and recording a perfect 16-0 mark on their home floor. UCSD has also been very successful away from home in 2009-10, going 9-3 in 12 road games. Head coach Charity Elliott's squad has not lost two straight since January 2008 and owns a 3-0 mark in contests following losses thus far this season.

UCSD In the NCAA Tournament
UCSD owns a 6-5 record in five previous NCAA Tournament appearances at the Division II level. The Tritons advanced to the West Regional for the first time under head coach Judy Malone in 2003-04, losing a 79-59 decision to Seattle Pacific in the first round. UCSD's most successful tournament run came in 2006-07, when the Tritons defeated Chico State 80-63 to win the West Regional title and advance to the program's first Elite Eight appearance. Head coach Janell Jones' squad knocked off Glenville State, 71-61, in Kearney, Neb. to advance to the Final Four, but saw its bid for a national title come to an end with a 67-53 loss to eventual champion Southern Connecticut State. Charity Elliott has led UCSD to the Big Dance in each of her first three seasons with the program, guiding the Tritons to the second round the last two years. Annette Ilg hit a game-winning jumper to deliver a 66-65 win over Cal State Dominguez Hills in the first round a year ago, but UCSD came up short in the semifinals, falling to Alaska Anchorage, 52-49.

Head-To-Head
The Tritons will be facing the only team to defeat them twice in 2009-10 when they take the court Friday, as Humboldt State won two out of three meetings between the two teams this season. The Lumberjacks were the first team to beat UCSD this year, ending the Tritons' 14-game winning streak with an 84-80 victory in Arcata on Jan. 21. UCSD was absolutely dominant in the rematch, using a big 25-8 first half run to take control and record a convincing 86-51 triumph in La Jolla on Feb. 26. The Lumberjacks were unconscious from the three-point line in last week's CCAA Tournament Semifinal matchup, connecting on 8-of-12 second half treys to down the Tritons again, 82-78. Despite the losses, UCSD holds a 7-5 advantage over HSU in an all-time series that dates back to the 2002-03 season.

Humboldt State At A Glance
Humboldt State enters Friday's showdown with an overall record of 19-10 after winning the program's first CCAA Tournament Championship on Saturday. After narrowly defeating the Tritons in the semifinal round, the Lumberjacks blew out Chico State 85-55 in the championship game to earn the conference's automatic bid. HSU has won three straight since losing to UCSD at RIMAC Arena two weeks ago, turning things around after a four-game skid from Feb. 19-26. The Lumberjacks enter the NCAA Tournament averaging 70.5 points per game offensively, while surrendering 64.1 on the other end. Senior center Brittney Taylor is the team's leading scorer at 18.2 points per game, while also hauling down 7.3 rebounds per night. Senior guard Andrea Bobic is second at 13.0 points and leads the team in three-point shooting at 42% (77-183). Both players were named to the All-CCAA First Team last week.

Projected Starters
G - Chelsea Carlisle • Averaging team-highs of 17.5 points and 3.5 assists in 2009-10.
G - Annette Ilg • Averaged 21 points and 7.0 rebounds in UCSD's two CCAA Tournament games last week.
G - Erin Noonan • Season averages of 4.8 ppg, 1.9 rpg, and 1.8 apg through 29 games.
F - Tiffany Hunter • UCSD's leading rebounder, averaging 7.2 per game in her first season as a Triton.
C - Lauren Freidenberg • Shooting just under 52% (67-129) from the field this season.

UCSD Racks Up Several Conference Awards
After another successful conference season, UC San Diego was well-represented once again when the league's annual awards were announced last week. Sophomore guard Chelsea Carlisle was named the conference Most Valuable Player and voted to the All-CCAA First Team, while senior guard Annette Ilg and junior forward Tiffany Hunter were second team selections. Head coach Charity Elliott was also recognized for the team's success in 2009-10, taking home a second consecutive CCAA Coach of the Year award after guiding the Tritons to back-to-back conference titles. Carlisle became the second straight Triton to earn player of the year accolades, following four-time All-CCAA First Teamer Michelle Osier last season. Carlisle was selected as the CCAA Freshman of the Year after averaging 13.2 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 3.9 assists in 2008-09.

CCAA'S Top Two Offenses Square Off Friday
Friday's second semifinal matchup will feature the top two offensive clubs in the CCAA, as UCSD and Humboldt State ranked 1-2 in the conference in scoring all season. The Tritons head to Seattle averaging a league-leading 73.2 points per game, while the Lumberjacks aren't far behind at 70.5. UCSD also leads the CCAA in team field goal percentage at 43.4% and scoring margin at +13.1 points per game, while Humboldt State owns the league's top percentage from the three-point line at just over 36%. Not surprisingly, offense has been key in the series this season, as the winning squad has shot better than 46% and scored at least 82 points in all three games. Humboldt State shot 52% (29-56) in the CCAA Tournament Semifinal matchup on Friday, including 48% (11-23) from distance, while UCSD shot just under 47% and scored a whopping 86 points in the rout of the Lumberjacks in the regular season finale two weeks ago.

Chelsea Lately
Chelsea Carlisle has been terrific in 2009-10, earning CCAA Player of the Year accolades in her second year with the program. The sophomore point guard led the league in scoring for most of the season and enters NCAA Tournament play averaging a team-high 17.5 points per game. She also leads the Tritons in assists (3.5), steals (2.1), three-pointers made (63), and minutes per game (28.9), while shooting 43% from the field. Carlisle has led UCSD in scoring 21 times this season and has reached double figures in every game but two. She has scored 20 or more on 11 occasions and has averaged 4.8 assists over the last eight games. She finished with 15 points on 5-of-17 shooting in UCSD's semifinal loss to Humboldt State last week.

Feeling Ilg
Senior guard Annette Ilg is in the midst of her best season at UCSD and her leadership has been a huge key to the team's success in 2009-10. She is currently second on the team in scoring, assists, and steals, averaging 12.0 points, 2.2 helpers and 2.0 thefts, respectively, while her 4.8 rebounds are tops among Triton guards and rank third overall. Ilg was outstanding last week, averaging 21.0 points and 7.0 rebounds in UCSD's games against Cal State Dominguez Hills and Humboldt State. She shot 52% (16-31) from the field and dropped 4-of-10 from behind the three-point arc, 40%. After tallying 21 points in back-to-back games, the Avon Lake, Ohio native has scored 10 or more a total of 19 times this season.

Peaking At the Right Time
Junior center Charity Smith was outstanding in UCSD's semifinal loss to Humboldt State last week, racking up 13 points and 13 rebounds for her first double-double as a Triton. She finished 6-of-8 from the field, going 3-for-4 in each half, and also tallied a blocked shot in a season-high 19 minutes off the bench. Smith had reached double figure scoring just once in 21 games prior to Friday's performance, scoring 10 points in the Tritons' win over Western Washington on Dec. 29. Fellow center Lauren Freidenberg also had one of her better games of her career against Humboldt State, scoring 11 points and hauling down six boards in 25 minutes. Smith and Freidenberg were a combined 7-for-8 in the first half, while the rest of the team was 7-for-32.