LA JOLLA, Calif. - The UC San Diego women's basketball team endured 50 minutes of field goals and fouls in its closing game of the UCSD Thanksgiving Classic at RIMAC on Saturday, but in the end, suffered a 74-66 defeat to Tampa in double overtime.

UCSD drops to 2-5 overall and will commence California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) play at RIMAC on Friday at 5:30 p.m. against Cal State L.A. (4-0).

Senior guard Daisy Feder led the Tritons with a game-high 21 points to go along with four rebounds and a share of the game-high four assists. Earning the Tritons' first double-double of the season was junior forward Erin Dautremont, who had 20 points and 10 rebounds in addition to an assist.

Matching Dautremont's double-double feat was junior center Sadie Oyer of the Spartans, who scored 12 points and grabbed 12 rebounds while also contributing a game-high four blocks and two steals. Junior guard Shamika Williams and senior forward Moriah Hodge both shared the team-high 19 points. Williams also had nine rebounds and a game-high three steals, and Hodge additionally had four assists, a block and two steals.

After ending regulation in a 54-54 tie, the Tritons and Spartans each added seven points to their scores in the first overtime. Dautremont gave the Tritons a two-point, 61-59 lead after making a layup with 39 seconds left in the overtime, but a layup by Williams resulted in a 61-61 tie with 18 seconds to go, and the score remained there for the rest of the period.

Although senior guard Emily Osga tied the game with a jumper, 63-63, at the 4:14 mark in double overtime, a layup by Williams gave the Spartans a 65-63 lead with 3:21 remaining to jumpstart an 8-0 run which proved insurmountable for the Tritons.

Osga's three-pointer to end the Spartans' scoring spree made the score, 71-66, and was UCSD's last one of the game. Osga finished with 14 points, six rebounds, three assists and two steals.

The Tritons began the game on the right note, playing defense so well that they held the Spartans to a dismal 13 points in the first half and a 5-for-22 (22.7%) performance from the field to go into the half with a decisive 22-13 lead.

Dautremont continued the Tritons' offensive dominance with a layup just 11 seconds into the second half, giving the Tritons a 24-13 lead. But after Osga hit a free throw to make the score, 36-27, with 10:41 remaining, it was the last UCSD basket for more than three minutes. In the interim, the Spartans came alive in the form of a 10-0 run and took the lead, 37-36, on junior guard Illyssa Vivo's three-pointer at the 7:51 mark of the second half.

Following a crucial timeout, Feder answered with a three-pointer to regain the lead for the Tritons, 39-37, with 7:32 left to play in regulation. In all, six straight three-pointers were made in a 1:32 stretch in which the lead changed hands just as many times. The stretch was finally broken by Hodge's layup with 5:52 left to play in the second half, resulting in the game's first tie, 45-45, which only proved to foreshadow later events.

With 1:24 to go in the second half, Osga gave the Tritons their final second-half lead on a layup, 49-48.

Down 54-52 with eight seconds left in regulation, a technical foul by Williams was taken advantage of by Feder, who drained both of her free throws to tie the game, 54-54, and the Tritons kept possession. In an effort to beat the buzzer and win the game, Dautremont attempted a layup which bounced around the rim a couple times before falling into Oyer's grasp as regulation ended.

For the game, the Tritons were less accurate than the Spartans from both the paint and three-point range but made just one fewer field goal while hitting three more treys than Tampa. UCSD made 24 of 71 (33.8%) from the field, including a 10-for-24 (41.7%) performance from three-point range. Tampa sunk 25 of 55 (45.5%) shots from the paint while hitting 7 of 16 (43.8%) three-point attempts.

At the line, the Tritons made all but two of their 10 attempts (80%) whereas the Spartans missed 10 of their 27 (63.0%).

The Spartans remain undefeated at 6-0 and will play Palm Beach Atlantic on Saturday at 2 p.m. EST.

In the first game of Saturday's action at the UCSD Thanksgiving Classic, Azusa Pacific defeated Cal State San Bernardino, 69-55, to improve to 1-4 overall for the season while the Coyotes dropped to 1-2 overall. The Cougars of APU were led by Kelly Hardeman, with 19 points, and Hannah Kenny, with 17. Amanda Sims had a game-high nine rebounds. The Coyotes were led by Alexcia Mack and Trinidee Trice with 15 points and 14 points, respectively, while Alisa Green had a team-high five rebounds.

2012 UCSD Thanksgiving Classic All-Tournament Team
Shamika Williams, Tampa
Moriah Hodge, Tampa
Daisy Feder, UC San Diego
Erin Dautremont, UC San Diego
Hannah Kenny, Azusa Pacific

Most Valuable Player: Shamika Williams, Tampa

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