RIVERSIDE, Calif.—UC San Diego women's basketball defeated UC Riverside, 51-43, on Thursday evening in SRC Arena. The Tritons (8-11, 4-4 Big West) held the Highlanders (10-9, 5-4 Big West) to just seven points in the first half of a defensive battle. UC San Diego limited UCR to just 24 percent (14-of-59) from the field.
 
Sumayah Sugapong led the Tritons with 22 points—her fourth 20-point game of the season—while Izzy Forsyth and Gracie Gallegos both added eight points apiece. Denali Pinto led the team in rebounds (11), assists (3) and steals (4). 
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
Both teams got off to a slow start offensively, going 1-for-7 from the field in the opening minutes and holding a 2-2 tie at the first media timeout. A late three by Sugapong and a jumper at the buzzer for Forsyth gave the Tritons a 7-4 lead at the first quarter break.
 
UC San Diego extended an 11-0 scoring run with six straight points to open the second quarter. The Tritons tough defense held UC Riverside scoreless for 12 minutes and 22 seconds before the Highlanders got their first basket of the third quarter with 3:11 to play. Another timely three by Sugapong and layup by Pinto closed out the half and the Tritons took a 18-7 lead into the break.
 
The Tritons extended their lead to open the second half with a bucket by Damilola Sule in the paint to make it 20-7. UC Riverside then put together a 12-3 scoring run to pull within four, 23-19, with 6:07 left in the quarter. Sugapong and Montgomery hit back-to-back jumpers to extend the lead back to eight, 27-19. 
 
The Highlanders then put together an 11-2 scoring run with five made free throws and back-to-back three-pointers to take their first lead since the opening minutes of the game, 30-29. The teams traded points before back-to-back baskets from Gallegos and Sugapong gave the Tritons the slight edge, 34-31, heading into the final quarter break.
 
After scoring four points in the first quarter and three points in the second quarter, UC Riverside outscored the Tritons 24-16 in the third period.
 
Both teams came up empty through the first three minutes of the final quarter before layups by Forsyth and Katie Springs extended the Tritons' lead, 38-31. The Highlanders closed to within three points midway through the period, but another bucket in the paint by Forsyth followed by back-to-back threes by Sugapong gave the Tritons another double-digit lead, 47-36, with 1:34 to play. 
 
The teams continued to battle down the stretch with the Tritons going a perfect 4-for-4 from the free throw line in the closing minutes to secure the 51-43 victory.
 
QUOTABLE
"Obviously very excited about the win," said UC San Diego head coach Heidi VanDerveer. "I feel like people really—top-to-bottom—concentrated on executing our game plan defensively. We weathered a storm in the third quarter and made big plays to finish it. 
 
I'm very pleased with everyone contributing tonight. I thought that we got great minutes from really everybody. Damilola Sule set a great tone for us, our back court with Sumayah, Parker, Gracie and Eri was strong. Izzy gave us great minutes and obviously Denali with her rebounds. It just felt like a total team win. Our challenge now is to be able to come back on Saturday and replicate the preparation and give ourselves a great chance at winning."
 
TRITON TIDBITS

• Sumayah Sugapong recorded double-figure points for the 15th time this season.
  • It was her fourth 20+ point game.
• The Tritons held UC Riverside's Jordan Webster to just nine points. Webster was leading the Big West—averaging 18.6 points per game—heading into the contest.
• The Tritons held the advantage in points off turnovers (19-9), points in the paint (18-14) and bench points (10-9). UCR had the edge in rebounds (46-40), fast break points (8-6) and second chance points (6-5).
• UC San Diego starters were Gracie Gallegos, Parker Montgomery, Denali Pinto, Sumayah Sugapong and Damilola Sule.
  • It was the first career start for Sule as a Triton.
• The Tritons are now 7-15 in the all-time series with UC Riverside and 5-2 in Division I.

UP NEXT 
UC San Diego will return home to LionTree Arena to host UC Davis on Saturday, Jan. 27 at 2 p.m. The game will be broadcast on ESPN+ and live statistics will be available via UCSDTritons.com.
 
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 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 84 Tritons have earned Academic All-America honors, while 38 have earned 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.