The Schedule
Game No. 7
UC San Diego Tritons (5-1) vs. Humboldt State Lumberjacks (5-2)
Friday, December 5, 2008
RIMAC Arena (5,000) ? 5:30 pm

Game No. 8
UC San Diego Tritons (5-1) vs. Sonoma State Seawolves (3-1)
Saturday, December 6, 2008
RIMAC Arena (5,000) ? 5:30 pm

First Things First
After sweeping three games at the Mt. McKinley Bank North Invitational in Fairbanks, Alaska Nov. 27-29, the UC San Diego women's basketball team returns to RIMAC Arena for the start of CCAA play this weekend. The Tritons will kick off the conference season against Humboldt State Friday night before welcoming Sonoma State to town on Saturday. Both games are scheduled to tipoff at 5:30 p.m.

For The Record
UCSD enters conference play with an overall record of 5-1 after winning four out of five games during a grueling 10-day road trip to the Pacific Northwest. The Tritons split two games at the CCAA/GNAC Crossover Classic Nov. 21-22 before defeating No. 17 Holy Family, Hawaii-Pacific, and the University of Alaska last week to capture the Mt. McKinley Bank North Invite title. The Tritons will play their next seven games at home, where they went 11-3 in 2007-08.

UCSD Dominates Competition At Bank North Invite
The Tritons had their way with the competition in Fairbanks, winning their three games by an average of just under 10 points. UCSD shot 42% for the tournament, while holding the opposition to an impressive 34% clip over three games. Like they have done all season long, the Tritons came out of the gates hot, building substantial first-half leads in each contest. In fact, UCSD held halftime margins of 41-22, 39-29, and 31-25 against Holy Family, Hawaii-Pacific, and Alaska, respectively. Senior forward Michelle Osier was the catalyst once again, averaging 18.7 points and 8.7 rebounds at the Bank North Invite, while Alexis Gaskin averaged 12.0 points and 8.7 boards and Annette Ilg put up 12.0 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 2.3 steals. 

Now The Real Fun Begins
While head coach Charity Elliott will take the current four-game winning streak and 5-1 start heading into conference play, now the real work begins. UCSD swept the opening weekend of CCAA play last season and won seven of its first 10 against league foes. The Tritons finished the year with a conference record of 14-6 and advanced the to CCAA Tournament championship game, losing to 18th-ranked Chico State, 69-63.

Scouting The Lumberjacks
Humboldt State enters Friday's contest with a record of 5-2 after defeating Sonoma State 71-58 in the CCAA opener for both squads Wednesday night in Arcata. Katie Franci leads the squad averaging 15.0 points, 9.0 rebounds and 3.7 assists, while Brittney Taylor has put up 15.0 points and 6.9 boards through seven games this season. The Lumberjacks lead the conference averaging 81.4 points per game, while holding their opponents to 66.4, a figure that ranks eighth. Despite losing both meetings in 2007-08, UCSD holds a narrow 4-3 advantage in the all-time series with HSU. The Lumberjacks defeated the Tritons 70-52 at their place on Jan. 5 and then left La Jolla with a 76-65 victory on Feb. 8. 

Scouting The Seawolves
After battling Humboldt, UCSD will entertain a Sonoma State squad that owns an overall record of 3-1 after suffering its first loss of the season Wednesday at the hands of the Lumberjacks. Olivia Larkin paces the Seawolves offensively, averaging 15.0 points per game, while Jaclyn Bisordi is second averaging 11.0. Sonoma is averaging 70.7 points per game while limiting the opposition to 64.3. UCSD trails the all-time series with the Seawolves 10-9, but took two out of three meetings last season. After Sonoma won the first matchup 58-41 on Jan. 4, the Tritons took the second meeting 72-59 Feb. 9, before edging the Seawolves in the second round of the CCAA Tournament, 57-55.
 
Forward Thinking
Michelle Osier had an impressive showing at the Mt. McKinley Bank North Invite last week, leading UCSD to a perfect 3-0 record. The senior forward averaged 18.7 points, 8.7 rebounds, and 2.0 steals, while shooting 65% (24-37) from the field. Osier finished with 18 points, seven boards, and three steals in the Tritons' 65-59 win over No. 17 Holy Family and then notched her second double-double of the season, tallying 18 points and 11 rebounds in UCSD's 67-56 triumph over host Alaska on Saturday. The Placerville, Calif. native leads the team in both scoring (19.0 ppg) and rebounding (8.3 rpg) and has also averaged a team-high 2.8 steals through six games. She is shooting 53% from the floor, which also leads the squad. Osier has scored in double figures each game this season and has scored 20 or more on three occasions.
 
Center of Attention
Senior center Alexis Gaskin is second on the team averaging 13.3 points to go with a team-high 8.3 rebounds per game in 2008-09. She leads the squad with seven blocks and ranks second shooting 43% from the floor. Gaskin had a big week in Alaska as well, scoring in double figures in all three games at the Bank North Invite. The Vacaville, Calif. native tallied 12 points and nine rebounds against Holy Family and registered her first double-double of the season two nights later against Alaska, finishing with 13 points and 10 boards. For the week, Gaskin averaged 12.0 points, 8.7 rebounds, and 1.3 blocks to help UCSD win the tournament crown.

Feeling Ilg
Assuming a starting role for the first time in her career, junior guard Annette Ilg has elevated her game to new levels this season. The native of Avon Lake, Ohio is averaging 11.8 points, 4.3 rebounds, 1.5 assists, and 2.3 steals in UCSD's six games. Ilg leads the team with six three-pointers made and is shooting 46% (25-54) from the field, which ranks second. She racked up 12 points, three rebounds, two assists, and two steals in the Tritons' win over Holy Family to open the tournament and followed that performance with 16 points, five boards, and three steals the next night against Hawaii-Pacific.

Osier Watch
Michelle Osier enters Friday's contest just 684 points shy of becoming UCSD's all-time leading scorer. The Placerville, Calif. native began the season with 1315 points for her career and has scored 114 through six games in 2008-09. With 21 points against Western Washington on Nov. 22, she passed Ali Ginn (2000-04) for second on the all-time charts and now trails only Leora Juster's (2003-07) career mark of 2049. Osier is also currently second among the Tritons' all-time rebounding leaders with a total of 946 boards for her career. She needs 93 to surpass Mary Egan's mark of 1038 career rebounds, a record that has stood since 1982.

UCSD Adds Forward Amy Griffith For 2009-01
UCSD has signed Amy Griffith to a National Letter of Intent during the early signing period, head coach Charity Elliott announced on Monday, November 25. A 6'1” forward/center from Saratoga, Calif., Griffith is entering her senior season at Valley Christian High School in San Jose, where she averaged 10 points, eight rebounds, and two steals as a junior last season. Named the team's Most Improved Player in 2007-08, she has played an instrumental role in guiding the Warriors to consecutive Central Coast Section Championships the last two seasons. VCHS went 27-7 overall and advanced to NorCal semifinals last year. The tallest player on Valley Christian's roster, Griffith can post up on the block or attack the basket off the dribble Elliott said.

Tritons Picked To Finish Second In CCAA Coaches Poll
UCSD was selected to finish second in the CCAA standings in the league's annual coaches poll. Defending champion Chico State was tabbed to repeat, receiving seven of the 11 first place votes and 96 total points to capture the top spot in the poll. After finishing third in the CCAA standings last season at 14-6, the Tritons received three first place votes and 85 points. Humboldt State received 70 points to finish third, while Sonoma State earned the fourth place nod with 63 points. San Francisco State finished fifth, with Cal State San Bernardino, Cal Poly Pomona, Cal State Dominguez Hills, Cal State L.A., Cal State Stanislaus, and Cal State Monterey Bay rounding out the poll, respectively.