LA JOLLA, Calif. – The UC San Diego women's basketball team came out on top of a thriller at RIMAC Arena this evening, defeating UC Irvine, 66-63. With its third-straight victory, UC San Diego improves to 5-7 both on the season and in Big West Conference play, while the Anteaters fall to 11-7 overall and 9-3 in league action.
 
The Anteaters got off to a quick start in the first quarter. Three minutes into the game, UC Irvine held a 7-2 lead. However, the Tritons then responded with an 8-0 run over the next two minutes. For the remaining five minutes, the teams traded baskets, but UC San Diego held a 15-12 lead at the end of the first period.
 
The Tritons maintained their lead throughout the whole second quarter. UC San Diego put up 21 points in the period, 15 of which came from beyond the three-point arc. The Anteaters, meanwhile, were 0-2 in their three-point attempts as they scored 19 points in the quarter. At halftime, UC San Diego possessed a 36-31 advantage over the Anteaters.
 
Coming out of halftime, the Anteaters scored 11 unanswered points to nab a 42-36 lead. Aishah Brown helped the Tritons right the ship, starting with a basket from behind the arc and adding a pair of free throws. She chipped in five of the Tritons' 10 points in the third quarter, as the Tritons narrowly trailed, 48-46, heading into the final 10 minutes.
 
In the fourth quarter, it was a back-and-forth affair. With less than two minutes to go, the Tritons grabbed a 64-60 lead on a three-point shot by Sydney Brown, but UC Irvine responded shortly after with a three-pointer of its own. Neither team was able to score again until Sydney Brown nailed a pair of free throws with 5.5 seconds left on the clock to bring the score to 66-63. The Anteaters were unable to score in the time remaining, so the Tritons clinched their third-straight victory.

QUOTABLE

Head Coach Heidi VanDerveer and Aishah Brown spoke after the game.



TRITON TIDBITS

• It was a team effort for UC San Diego, as 10 Tritons put up points in the contest and seven Tritons recorded rebounds. UC San Diego finished the night with 34 points from the bench.
• Aishah Brown recorded a new career high with 13 points on the night, which was also a team best. Her nine rebounds were a game high.
• Three Tritons finished the night with double-digit points: Aishah Brown (13), Emily Cangelosi (11), and Sydney Brown (10).
• UC San Diego held the lead for 57.8% of the game.

UP NEXT 

Next, the Tritons and Anteaters will be back in action for a rematch tomorrow evening. The teams will battle at 5 p.m. at RIMAC Arena. Catch the action on ESPN3.
 
About UC San Diego Athletics
After two decades as one of the most successful programs in NCAA Division II, the UC San Diego intercollegiate athletics program began a new era in 2020 as a member of the Big West Conference in NCAA Division I. The 23-sport Tritons earned 30 team and nearly 150 individual national championships during its time in Divisions III and II and helped guide 1,400 scholar-athletes to All-America honors. A total of 83 Tritons have earned Academic All-America accolades, while 38 have received prestigious NCAA Post Graduate Scholarships. UC San Diego scholar-athletes exemplify the academic ideals of one of the world's preeminent institutions, graduating at an average rate of 91 percent, one of the highest rates among institutions at all divisions.
 
Return To Sport… Safely
In order for UC San Diego scholar-athletes to be permitted to return to training and competition safely and within federal, state, local and university guidelines, the athletic department implemented a number of measures designed to complement and enhance the university's highly-successful Return To Learn program.  Notable actions include being physically distanced when practical, including during out-of-season training sessions; wearing masks, except when undergoing physically strenuous exercise; and maintaining proper hygiene.  Athletes, coaches and staff are testing at a higher frequency than the campus population, teams adhere to CDC, NCAA and Big West Conference guidelines and department officials participate in regular meetings with conference and university-affiliated physicians and the UC San Diego emergency operations staff.