UPCOMING EVENTS:

Fri., Dec. 19---Women’s Basketball---UCSD hosts UCSD Classic---7:00 PM

Sat., Dec. 20---Men’s Basketball---UCSD at CCAA-PacWest Shootout---5:00 PM
Sat., Dec. 20---Women’s Basketball---UCSD hosts UCSD Classic---7:00 PM

Sun., Dec. 21---Men’s Basketball---UCSD at CCAA-PacWest Shootout---4:00 PM

Tue., Dec. 30---Women’s Basketball---UCSD vs. San Diego Christian---7:00 PM

TRITON MEN OPEN CONFERENCE PLAY 2-0
Coach Chris Carlson’s Men’s Basketball team evened its season record at 3-3 and opened the CCAA season at 2-0 with a sweep of Humboldt State (80-67) and Sonoma State (57-52) at RIMAC Arena last weekend...The Triton cagers will now have a 14-day competitive respite for finals before returning Dec. 20-21 at the CCAA-PacWest Shootout in Las Vegas...Picked for seventh in the CCAA pre-season coaches’ poll, Carlson's unit has produced its second consecutive 2-0 conference start.

In front of 1,886 partisans Friday night, UCSD trailed 2007-08 CCAA regular season co-champ Humboldt State throughout the first half, took its first lead on a lay-in by senior A.J. Maulhardt at the 17:04 mark of the second half and stretched it as high as 17 points before settling for a 13-point margin after a foul-plagued final three minutes... Maulhardt, with a career high 14 points and seven rebounds, was one of five Tritons in double figures...Fellow seniors Darryl Lawlor and Shane Poppen topped the scoring column with 15 each and combined for 15 boards with Poppen pulling down a team high eight...Senior Alan Husted and junior Jordan Lawley accounted for 11 and 10 points respectively while a fifth senior, point guard Kelvin Kim handed out six assists...UCSD shot a sterling 51.9% from the floor, while holding the Lumberjacks to just 33.3%, and dominated the glass (41-27).

Twenty-four hours later, the Tritons got 27 points and five rebounds from Lawley while grinding out their five-point conquest of Sonoma State...The lefty from Lodi who had 31 against Notre Dame de Namur last week, connected on 9-of-16 from the floor in a game that was tied nine times with neither team able to achieve more than a six-point margin... UCSD was again strong on the boards, going plus-13 for the night and Poppen had another solid effort in his sixth man role, garnering 11 points and a game high seven rebounds.

Hear Coach Chris Carlson's comments following the Sonoma State victory.
Jordan Lawley interview following Sonoma State game.

  

SIX STRAIGHT FOR WOMEN'S HOOP TEAM 
It wasn’t always easy, but the streaking Women’s Basketball team tipped off the 2008-09 CCAA season with a pair of wins, punching out Humboldt State and Sonoma State at RIMAC Arena...Now unbeaten in its last six outings, the Tritons (7-1) will take a break for finals and pick back up Dec. 19-20 when they host the UCSD Classic where they will face St. Mary's (TX) and Drury (MO).

Four Tritons scored in double figures Friday night and they needed all of that firepower to hold off a late Humboldt State rally for a 69-66 victory...Senior Michelle Osier notched her second double double of the season (20 points/11 rebounds) and junior guard Leilani Martin added 11 points, six boards and four assists...An early, 13-2, run put the Tritons in command and although they never surrendered the lead, they allowed a 15-pt. mid-second half advantage midway dissipate to just two in the final two minutes and had to survive a potential game-tying three in the final seconds to emerge with the win...Senior Alexis Gaskin had 10 pts. and seven rebounds while junior Erin Noonan netted 10.

UCSD went virtually gate-to-wire Saturday, subduing Sonoma State, 67-59, as all five starters scored in double digits...For the second straight night, the Tritons had shooting and rebounding advantages and their defensive ballhawking resulted in 11 steals...Osier again led the way with 16 pts. and eight caroms...Noonan chipped in with 13 points, including a pair of key early treys that loosened up the Seawolf defense...In a game where Coach Charity Elliott’s club got just six points from the bench, Gaskin (10 pts./8 rebounds), Martin (10 pts./5 assists) and sophomore Annette Ilg (12 pts./8 rebounds/4 assists) all had nice lines...UCSD’s largest lead was 18, in the opening minute of the second half.
 
Alexis Gaskin interview after the Sonoma State game.

NEWS & NOTES
Senior Rebecca Bailey was named to the American Volleyball Coaches’ Assn. (AVCA) Division II All-American team for the second straight year...Bailey, UCSD’s all-time kill leader, gained third team accolades after getting honorable mention recognition as a junior...At the D-II level, only setter Theresa Ohta (200 ) has been a two-time All-American selection.

Two UCSD senior soccer stars were named to the Daktronics Division II All-America roster...Goalkeeper Jessica McGovern, the Defensive MVP of the CCAA Championships, was chosen to the third team and CCAA regular season Defensive MVP Amanda Esquivel earned honorable mention status.

For more information on Triton sports, check our website at ucsdtritons.com.

Send questions and comments to tritons@ucsd.edu.