LA JOLLA, Calif.—UC San Diego women's basketball fell to UC Irvine, 56-49, on Saturday afternoon in LionTree Arena. After building a first-half lead, the Tritons (11-13, 7-5 Big West) struggled offensively in the second half, ultimately falling to the Anteaters (16-6, 10-2 Big West) for the second time this season.
 
Sumayah Sugapong led the Tritons with 15 points, while Gracie Gallegos added 12 and Erin Condron chipped in seven. Sabrina Ma and Kayanna Spriggs both collected nine rebounds, while Junaé Mahan tallied seven. Mahan and Sugapong led the team with two assists apiece and Parker Montgomery and Mahan led the group with three steals each.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
It was defensive battle to begin the game, with UC Irvine leading, 6-5, at the first media timeout. With the teams knotted at 8-all, Montgomery got a steal-and-score and Sugapong followed with a jumper to give UC San Diego a 12-8 lead at the first quarter break.
 
The Tritons maintained a five-point lead behind the tough play of Condron in the paint to begin the second period. Back-to-back threes gave UCI the slim lead, 18-17, with 6:24 to play in the half. UC San Diego then went on a 10-2 scoring run sparked by eight points from Gallegos to retake the lead, 27-20. A late three by Sugapong and a jumper from Junaé Mahan gave the Tritons their largest lead of the first half, 32-22. A three in the final minute by the Anteaters made it a 32-25 advantage for UC San Diego at halftime.
 
UC Irvine opened the second half on an eight-point run to take the lead, 33-32, as the Tritons struggled to find a rhythm offensively. Gallegos broke the drought for UC San Diego with 5:31 on the clock, hitting a jumper and a pair of free throws for a four-point swing to give the Tritons the lead once again, 36-33. However, an eight-point run down the stretch gave the Anteaters a 44-38 advantage heading into the final quarter break.
 
Opening the final period on a 5-2 run, the Tritons closed to within three points, 46-43. UC Irvine responded with a 10-2 run of its own to stall UC San Diego's momentum and effectively seal the game. The Tritons mounted one final push with two forced turnovers resulting in points for the home team but the deficit proved too much and UC San Diego fell, 56-49. 
 
TRITON TIDBITS

• Sumayah Sugapong led the Tritons offensively for the 21st time this season.
• UC San Diego held the edge in points off turnovers (23-2), points in the paint (24-18) and turnovers forced (22-11), while UC Irvine had the advantage in second chance points (17-8) and bench points (22-11).
• The Tritons are now 2-14 in the all-time series (2-8 in D-I) and 0-2 this season against UC Irvine.
• UC San Diego starters were Sumayah Sugapong, Sabrina Ma, Gracie Gallegos, Kayanna Spriggs and Parker Montgomery.

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.