LA JOLLA, Calif.—UC San Diego women's basketball will return to LionTree Arena to play host to Long Beach State and UC Riverside this week.
The Tritons (6-11, 2-3 Big West) will take on the Beach (9-5, 5-0 Big West) on Thursday at 7 p.m. with free t-shirts for the first 1,000 fans in attendance. UC San Diego will face the Highlanders (7-8, 3-2 Big West) on Saturday at 2 p.m. The games will be broadcast on ESPN+ and live statistics will be available via UCSDTritons.com.
DETAILS
Game 18
UC San Diego (6-11, 2-3) vs Long Beach State (9-5, 5-0)
Thursday, Jan. 16 | 7 p.m.
LionTree Arena (4,000) | La Jolla, Calif.
All-time series: 2-6
Division I: 2-6
Last meeting: UCSD 78, LBSU 45 (Feb. 3, 2024)
Streak: W2
Watch on ESPN+ |
Live Stats
Game 19
UC San Diego vs UC Riverside (7-8, 3-2)
Saturday, Jan. 18 | 2 p.m.
LionTree Arena (4,000) | La Jolla, Calif.
All-time series: 7-16
Division I: 5-3
Last meeting: UCSD 48, UCR 63 (Feb. 22, 2024)
Streak: L1
Watch on ESPN+ |
Live Stats
| ABOUT THE TRITONS |
ABOUT LONG BEACH ST. |
ABOUT UC RIVERSIDE |
| Roster | Schedule | Stats |
Roster | Schedule | Stats |
Roster | Schedule | Stats |
| Overall: 6-11 |
Overall: 9-5 |
Overall: 7-8 |
| Big West: 2-3 |
Big West: 5-0 |
Big West: 3-2 |
| Home: 4-5 |
Home: 6-2 |
Home: 3-2 |
| Away: 2-6 |
Away: 3-3 |
Away: 4-6 |
| Neutral: 0-0 |
Neutral: 0-0 |
Neutral: 0-0 |
| vs. Ranked Opponents: 0-0 |
vs. Ranked Opponents: 0-0 |
vs. Ranked Opponents: 0-0 |
| Streak: L2 |
Streak: W4 |
Streak: L1 |
LAST TIME OUT
UC San Diego went 0-2 on the road in Big West play last week, falling at Cal Poly, 61-56, and dropping a 73-66 decision at UC Irvine. For her performance,
Sumayah Sugapong was named UCU Athlete of the Week.
UC San Diego 56, Cal Poly 61
Points: Sugapong (23), Condron, Ma (11)
Rebounds: Condron (10), Montgomery (6)
Assists: Ma, Sugapong (3)
Steals: Montgomery (4), Gallegos, Sugapong (3)
Blocks: Blithikioti, Condron, Gallegos, Ma (1)
UC San Diego 66, UC Irvine 73
Points: Ma (17), Gallegos (13), Sugapong (11), Montgomery (10)
Rebounds: Spriggs (12), Gallegos (5)
Assists: Spriggs (5), Gallegos (4), Sugapong (3)
Steals: Sugapong (2)
Blocks: Gallegos, Ma (1)
SUGAPONG EARNS UCU ATHLETE OF THE WEEK (JAN. 13)
Sumayah Sugapong averaged 17.0 points to lead UC San Diego women's basketball last week. The sophomore guard collected six rebounds, six assists and five steals, totaling 34 points in two games for the Tritons. She finished two points shy of her career high at Cal Poly, adding four rebounds—including three offensive boards—and three steals. At UC Irvine, Sugapong tallied 11 points, three assists, two steals and two rebounds. She currently ranks first in the Big West in assists, steals and field goal attempts.
UP NEXT
UC San Diego will travel to face UC Santa Barbara on Thursday, Jan. 23 at 7 p.m. and CSUN on Saturday, Jan. 25 at 2 p.m. The games will be broadcast on ESPN+ and live statistics will be available via UCSDTritons.com.
TRITON TAKEAWAYS
UC San Diego currently ranks first in the Big West and 25th nationally in steals (11.9 per game) and first in turnovers forced (21.06 per game, 31st nationally) and first in the conference in turnover margin (4.53, 47th nationally).
Four Tritons rank in the top 10 in the Big West in steals.
Sabrina Ma and
Sumayah Sugapong are tied for first the conference (41 total, 2.40 per game) and 39th in the NCAA in total steals (67th in steals per game).
Parker Montgomery ranks fifth in total steals (29) and seventh in steals per game (1.7). Kyanna Spriggs rounds out the group at eighth in total steals (24) and 14th in steals per game (1.4).
STACKING UP AGAINST THE BIG WEST
Sumayah Sugapong ranks seventh in the Big West in scoring (13.2 points per game), first in assists (66 total, 3.9 per game), first in field goal attempts (237) and fourth in free throw percentage (80.0).
Kayanna Spriggs ranks first in total rebounds (127) and fourth in rebounds per game (7.5). She was the first player in the conference to reach 100+ rebounds this season. Spriggs ranks 15th in scoring (10.4 points per game), fourth in free throw attempts (70), seventh in free throws made (45) and ninth in total blocks (15 total, 0.9 per game).
Sabrina Ma ranks third in the conference in three-pointers made (35) and fourth in threes per game (2.06). She also ranks third in three-point percentage (36.8).
AWARDS & HONORS
SUGAPONG EARNS SECOND BIG WEST WEEKLY HONOR OF THE SEASON (DEC. 16)
Sumayah Sugapong was named Big West Player of the Week—her second conference weekly award of the season–after leading the Tritons to an 81-58 victory at California Baptist. The sophomore finished one point shy of her career high with 24 points and recorded a career-high seven assists. Sugapong also led the team in steals (3) and tallied one block to help UC San Diego force 17 turnovers in the program's first Division I victory over CBU.
Additionally, Sugapong matched her career mark with nine made field goals and four made three-pointers. She currently ranks first in the Big West in assists (39 total, 3.5 per game), second in total steals (25) and third in points (143) and steals per game (2.27).
SUGAPONG EARNS BIG WEST PLAYER OF THE WEEK (DEC. 2)
Sophomore guard
Sumayah Sugapong was named Big West Player of the Week after her standout performance at Stanford, earning the second conference weekly nod of her career.
Sugapong set UC San Diego's Division I single-game record with seven steals in the contest, helping the Tritons force a season-high 25 turnovers for Stanford. It was also the most turnovers for the Cardinal in nearly 10 seasons (26 vs Santa Clara, Nov. 23, 2015). The San Diego native scored a season-best 21 points—four shy of her career high—and also led the Tritons in rebounds (6), assists (3) and steals (7) against the Cardinal.
She scored 17 of her 21 points in the second half and collected six steals to help the Tritons force 15 second-half turnovers for the Cardinal. UC San Diego outscored Stanford 14-5 in points off turnovers in the second half and had a +2 margin in the final two quarters of play due in large part to Sugapong's performance.
EXPERIENCED ROSTER
UC San Diego returns 12 Tritons from the 2023-24 squad, including starters
Gracie Gallegos,
Parker Montgomery and
Sumayah Sugapong. Sugapong was named Big West Freshman of the Year and All-Big West Honorable Mention a season ago, recognized alongside Gallegos on the All-Freshman Team.
FRESH FACES
The Tritons added three talented newcomers to the squad during the offseason, signing one incoming true freshman and two transfer scholar-athletes for the 2024-25 season. Freshman guard/forward
Nicki Polocheck is headed to La Jolla after a successful prep career at Memorial Senior High School (Houston, Texas). UC San Diego also added two talented transfers, junior
Sabrina Ma (San Jose State) and senior
Kayanna Spriggs (CSUN).
SUGAPONG NAMED TO PRESEASON COACHES' TEAM
Sophomore guard
Sumayah Sugapong was one of six scholar-athletes recognized by the conferences' 11 head coaches on the 2024-25 Big West Women's Basketball Preseason Coaches Team. She was the only underclassman selected to the list, joining three fifth-year athletes and two seniors. Sugapong was just the third Triton to be recognized on the conference's preseason team since UC San Diego joined the Big West in 2021.
Sugapong was a standout in her first season with the Tritons in 2023-24, earning Big West Freshman of the Year as well as All-Big West Honorable Mention and All-Freshman Team recognition. The San Diego native averaged 14.0 points per game to lead all Triton scorers and rank sixth overall in the Big West. Sugapong was the leading scorer in 15 of UC San Diego's 31 games with 23 double-figure scoring efforts and six 20-point games. She also led the Tritons with 64 assists (2.1 per game) and with 41 steals (1.3 per game). She finished seventh in the Big West with a .738 free throw percentage (90-of-122) and ranked 17th in three-point field goals (1.2 per game).
TRITONS PICKED SIXTH IN PRESEASON POLL
UC San Diego was picked to finish sixth in the 2024-25 Big West Preseason Coaches' Poll with 60 points. For the third straight season, Hawai'i was picked to finish first with six of the 11 first-place votes (96 points). UC Irvine followed closely with the remaining five first-place votes (95 points) and UC Davis rounded out the top three (81 points).
Long Beach State was picked to finish fourth with 63 points, followed by Cal Poly (61 points), UC San Diego (60), UC Santa Barbara (52), UC Riverside (40), Cal State Fullerton (25), Cal State Bakersfield (18) and CSUN (14).
SABRINA MA NAMED TOUGH LIKE TAMMY TEAM AMBASSADOR
Sabrina Ma will be the UC San Diego team ambassador for the Big West's Tough Like Tammy fundraising initiative for the 2024-25 women's basketball season. The program is a joint venture between Big West women's basketball, the Kay Yow Cancer Fund and Big West women's basketball analyst Tammy Blackburn designed to support life-saving research on all cancers affecting women.
A year ago, the program more than doubled its goal of raising $5,000, with all 11 women's basketball programs participating to contribute $10,236 to the cause. The goal in 2024-25 is to raise $15,000 through donations or pledges for each offensive rebound secured during the final month of the Big West women's basketball season. Each Big West women's basketball program has selected team ambassadors to spearhead the effort to exceed the team goal of $1,000 per institution and Ma was named the representative for the Tritons.
WINNING IN THE CLASSROOM
The Tritons excelled in the classroom in 2023-24 with three scholar-athletes earning College Sports Communicators (CSC) Academic All-District honors, including
Izzy Forsyth and graduating seniors
Denali Pinto and
Katie Springs. UC San Diego had five scholar-athletes named to the 2023-24 Big West Winter All-Academic Team, including current Tritons Forsyth,
Gracie Gallegos, and
Gabby Louther. Additionally, 12 Tritons were named to the Big West Commissioner's Honor Roll with eight earning Highest Honors (3.51-4.00 GPA) including
Meaali'i Amosa,
Izzy Forsyth,
Gracie Gallegos,
Rosa Smith,
Emma Svoboda and
Grace Talbot.
WELCOMING A PAIR OF TRITONS BACK TO STAFF
UC San Diego welcomes two Tritons back to La Jolla for the 2024-25 season to serve in support roles. Miranda Seto, a 2015 graduate of the UC San Diego women's basketball program, returns to La Jolla as an assistant coach and the Tritons' director of basketball operations. Seto previously served as an assistant at her alma mater Pinewood School and Fever Club Basketball in Los Altos, Calif. As a senior at UC San Diego, Seto was named All-CCAA Honorable Mention and earned first-team accolades as a junior. She was also a three-time CCAA All-Academic honoree for the Tritons.
Additionally, UC San Diego has named former Triton head men's basketball coach Bill Car as the General Manager for both the men's and women's programs. Carr led the Triton men from 2004-07 and spent the last eight years as the head women's basketball coach at Santa Clara. In his new position, Carr will be responsible for implementing and managing a comprehensive basketball name, image and likeness (NIL) program and will serve as a valuable asset toward roster management, recruiting and overall program success for both the Triton men's and women's basketball programs.
WHY THE TRITONS?
The Triton is described as the offspring of Poseidon and Amphitrite, a demigod of the sea with a lower part of the body like that of a fish. It is known as a mighty and fierce sea warrior. Given UC San Diego's close proximity to the Pacific Ocean and its connections with the world-famous Scripps Institution of Oceanography, the Triton became our mascot in 1964.
ON THE MOVE
After 20 seasons playing as an NCAA Division II team, the entire athletics program has completed a four-year transition to NCAA Division I, culminating in full DI status as a member of the
Big West Conference for the 2024-25 academic year. All UC San Diego sports are now eligible for conference and NCAA postseason play.
WELCOME TO LIONTREE ARENA
Since it was established nearly three decades ago, the University of California San Diego's RIMAC (Recreation, Intramural and Athletic Complex) Arena has been home to countless athletic competitions, graduations, concerts and other events that are imprinted on the memories of thousands of UC San Diego alumni, students, friends and visitors.
In June of 2022, UC San Diego announced that RIMAC Arena has been named LionTree Arena in recognition of a $5 million gift for scholar-athletes from LionTree, an independent investment and merchant bank with expertise in technology, media and the digital economy. LionTree was founded by UC San Diego alumnus Aryeh B. Bourkoff, who also serves as the firm's CEO. LionTree's gift is the largest ever received by UC San Diego Athletics, establishing the LionTree Endowed Scholarship Fund to support scholar-athletes.
UC SAN DIEGO ON THE WORLDWIDE LEADER
Most UC San Diego home men's and women's basketball games, men's and women's soccer matches, men's and women's volleyball matches, baseball and softball games are broadcast live on ESPN+. For more information on where to watch UC San Diego women's basketball, visit
UCSDTritons.com/live.
GAME DAY GOES DIGITAL
Triton fans now have a whole new way to access game day information, as game programs have gone digital! Fans can visit
UCSDTritons.com from their smart phone or scan the QR code at the entrance to LionTree Arena for everything they need to know about each home game, including updated rosters, schedules, and stats for each team, as well as links to watch on ESPN+.
COVERING THE TRITONS
Media members wishing to cover a UC San Diego game in-person at LionTree Arena must notify a member of the Athletics Communication staff no later than 24 hours prior to the game.
Following the conclusion of each home game, a video highlight melt and video postgame interviews will be made available for media members to download.
GET SOCIAL WITH UC SAN DIEGO WOMEN'S BASKETBALL
Keep up with the Tritons all season long on social media through
Twitter and
Instagram. The team's handle is @UCSDwbb.
FOR THE YOUNGER CROWD
Got some young Triton fans in your family? If they are eighth grade or under, check out the
Junior Triton Club. Membership includes a free t-shirt, admission to over 100 UC San Diego home athletic events, and much more!
GEAR
For the latest Triton apparel and accessories,
click here.
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.
