HENDERSON, Nev. – UC San Diego sophomore
Sumayah Sugapong hit the game-winning layup with 0.2 seconds to play as the Tritons edged top seed Hawai'i, 51-49, in The Big West Championship semifinal Friday afternoon at Lee's Family Forum. Playing in their first Division I postseason, the fourth seed Tritons will move on to the championship game on Saturday at 3 p.m. vs. either second seed UC Irvine or third seed UC Davis.
The Tritons built a 27-point first half lead and held on down the stretch to advance to Saturday's final. Sugapong finished with a game-high 17 points and
Parker Montgomery added 16 in the win.
HOW IT HAPPENED
It was a red-hot start for UC San Diego on both ends of the floor. Montgomery scored the game's first five points on a jumper and a corner three. Meantime, the Tritons limited UH to just one of its first six field goal tries with
Gracie Gallegos grabbing four early rebounds. Sugapong scored a pair of buckets, and the Tritons led 11-4 at the game's first media timeout.
UC San Diego continued its impressive transition play out of the timeout. After another Gallegos board, Montgomery knocked down a transition three to extend the lead.
Erin Condron added a steal and a block – both leading to Triton baskets and a Hawai'i timeout. The 15-2 UC San Diego run gave the Tritons a 20-4 lead.
UC San Diego led 22-4 after the first quarter. The Tritons had their way inside, outscoring the Rainbow Wahine, 16-2, in the paint. Montgomery scored ten and Gallegos had seven first quarter rebounds. Hawai'i connected on just 2-of-17 field goal tries.
The Tritons had a 34-12 lead late in the second when Montgomery drained another triple – this one from the wing – and the UC San Diego contingent erupted as the Tritons went up by 25 with just over two minutes left on the clock.
Montgomery scored 16 and Sugapong added 11 as UC San Diego took a 41-18 lead into halftime. The Tritons' stifling defense limited the Rainbow Wahine to just 5-of-29 shooting (17%) and 1-for-15 from beyond the arc.
Hawai'i shaved five points off the Triton lead in the third quarter, and the Rainbow Wahine scored the first 15 points in the fourth to cut their deficit to three, 47-44, with 2:30 to play. A driving layup from Sugapong with 2:02 to play briefly topped the momentum and gave UC San Diego a 49-44 lead. On the other end, Brooklyn Rewers converted a three-point play to tie the score at 49 in the final 90 seconds.
UC San Diego forged back ahead on Sugapong's game-winner.
QUOTABLE
TRITON TIDBITS
- The Tritons are now 2-0 in the postseason all-time as a Division I program.
- UC San Diego outrebounded the Rainbow Wahine, 44-36. The Tritons are 12-2 this season when corralling more rebounds than their opponent.
- Gallegos matched her season high with ten rebounds.
- The Tritons improved to 15-4 when leading at halftime.
UP NEXT
With Friday's win, UC San Diego advances to The Big West Championship for the first time. The fourth seed Tritons will take on the winner of UC Irvine vs. UC Davis on Saturday, March 15, at 3 p.m. with the conference title on the line. The game will be broadcast on ESPN+, SiriusXM, and KSDT radio with live stats on 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 24-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 90 percent, the highest rate among public institutions in Divisions I and II.
