LA JOLLA, Calif.—UC San Diego women's basketball defeated Cal State Fullerton, 57-45, as conference play resumed on Saturday afternoon in LionTree Arena. The Tritons (6-9, 2-1 Big West) held the Titans (2-12, 0-4 Big West) to just 15 points in the second half to move to 5-4 in the all-time series.
 
Sumayah Sugapong led the Tritons with 15 points and four assists, while Erin Condron and Gracie Gallegos added 12 apiece. Eri Blithikioti tallied a team-best nine rebounds and added three assists, while Kayanna Spriggs added eight board (3 offensive). Gallegos and Sugapong collected three steals each in the contest.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Tritons jumped out to an early 8-2 advantage before Fullerton knocked down back-to-back layups to pull within two midway through the first period. UC San Diego used a 7-2 scoring run to create distance down the stretch and took a 17-11 lead into the first quarter break.
 
Cal State Fullerton opened the second period with a four-point swing to make it a one-possession game once again. With the Tritons leading 23-18 midway through the quarter, the Titans put together a 7-0 run to take their first lead of the contest, 25-23. The teams traded baskets to close out the quarter with CSUF on top, 30-28.
 
UC San Diego opened the second half with a 11-point scoring run to retake the lead, 39-30. Another 5-0 run with under three minutes gave the Tritons their largest lead of the contest, 44-32. UC San Diego outscored Cal State Fullerton, 16-6, in the period and took a 44-36 advantage into the final quarter break.
 
The teams traded baskets in the early minutes of final period. Midway through the quarter, back-to-back layups by Spriggs and Condron matched the Tritons largest lead of the contest, 52-40. UC San Diego took care of business at the free throw line down the stretch to earn the 57-45 victory.
 
TRITON TIDBITS

• Erin Condron made her season debut in the contest after being sidelined with an injury in the preseason.
• UC San Diego held the advantage in rebounds (39-35), points off of turnovers (11-9), points in the paint (36-24) and bench points (14-10). 
• The Tritons are now 5-4 in the all-time series with Cal State Fullerton.
• UC San Diego starters were Sumayah Sugapong, Sabrina Ma, Gracie Gallegos, Kayanna Spriggs and Parker Montgomery.

UP NEXT
UC San Diego will hit the road for a pair of conference matchups, facing Cal Poly on Thursday, Jan. 9 at 6 p.m. and taking on UC Irvine on Saturday, Jan. 11 at 2 p.m. The games 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.