LA JOLLA, Calif.— UC San Diego women's basketball erased a 10 point deficit in the second half to secure a 64-61 victory over Cal State Fullerton on Saturday afternoon at RIMAC Arena.
 
Three Tritons (7-8, 4-2 Big West) finished in double figures, led by Sydney Brown with 18 points and 13 rebounds for her fifth double-double of the season. Julia Macabuhay finished with a season-best 17 points and Emily Cangelosi tallied her third consecutive double-digit scoring effort with 14 points.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Tritons jumped out to the early 4-0 lead, but it was all Fullerton in the first quarter. The Titans (6-9, 1-4 Big West) used a 12-3 run midway through the period to take a 12-7 lead with 3:00 remaining. Sydney Brown sank a three but CSF answered with one of its own and took a 15-10 lead into the first quarter break.
 
The Titans used a 7-point run to extend their lead to 10 at the 7:01 mark of the second quarter. Back-to-back baskets from Sydney Brown halted the CSF momentum and the teams traded baskets to a halftime score of 28-22, Fullerton.
 
It appeared as if the second half would be more of the same after a 4-0 run by the Titans opened the third period. UC San Diego then put together an impressive 18-3 run led by Cangelosi with seven points and Macabuhay and Baxter with four each. The Tritons secured their first lead since the opening minutes at the 1:31 mark of the third quarter and took a 40-37 advantage into the final period.
 
The teams traded baskets to open the fourth quarter before a 6-0 run gave the Titans the lead, 53-50 with 2:40 remaining in the contest. Timely threes by Parker Montgomery and Macabuhay helped keep the Tritons locked in the 58-58 tie with a minute to play. 
 
With the Tritons down 60-61, Macabuhay drew a crucial foul with six seconds remaining in the contest. The senior sank both of her free throws to give UC San Diego the lead, 62-61. The Tritons put together an impressive defensive effort to keep the Titans off the board and Macabuhay knocked down two more free throws to ice the game and secure the comeback for the UC San Diego.
 
TRITON TIDBITS

• Sydney Brown recorded her fifth double-double of the season (18 points, 13 rebounds) and recorded three blocks and a steal for the Tritons.
• Julia Macabuhay put up her highest point total of the season finishing with 17, including 13 in the second half. The senior was also 6-for-6 from the free throw line in the final quarter.
• Emily Cangelosi has finished in double-figures in three consecutive games, tallying 14 tonight. 
• The Tritons improved to 2-1 in the all-time series with the Titans.
• UC San Diego's starters consisted of Madison Baxter, Sydney Brown, Emily Cangelosi, Julia Macabuhay and Bridget Mullings. 

UP NEXT
The Tritons will hit the road for a pair of games, taking on Cal Poly on Jan. 27 at 7 p.m. PT before traveling to face CSU Bakersfield on Jan. 29 
 
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 has begun a new era 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 II and III and helped guide 1,400 scholar-athletes to All-America honors. A total of 83 Tritons have earned Academic All-America honors, while 38 have garnered 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. For more information on the Tritons, visit UCSDtritons.com or follow UC San Diego Athletics on social media @UCSDtritons.