RIVERSIDE, Calif. – The University of California, Riverside (UCR) women's basketball team and new Big West members University of California, San Diego (UCSD) met at the SRC Arena for an inaugural bout in the Tritons' first season as members of the conference. UCSD would earn the win over the home squad, bolstered by a pair of double-doubles from Aishah Brown and Sydney Brown. The Tritons improve to 3-7 overall and in Big West play, while the Highlanders fall to 7-8 overall and 5-6 in conference.
Two Highlanders scored in the double digits, with Jada Holland putting up a team-high 15 points to go with three assists and two steals. Suzan Kinran added 12 points to the cause, on 4-5 shooting beyond the arc. Keilanei Cooper contributed eight points while grabbing a team-high seven boards.
Commenting on the loss and adjustments to expect tomorrow, Coach Nicole Powell said, "We just have to do a better job. We weren't tuned into the simple things. You have to be ready to play, and defense is 100% an effort thing. We didn't give our best effort and UCSD took advantage of that."
UCSD took command from the tip off, winning the ball and putting up the first points of the game with a three-pointer. The Highlanders trailed for the majority of the first quarter, working hard offensively to push past the Tritons initial lead. UCR tied it up at 8-8 halfway through the period before UCSD sunk a jumper, a three pointer and a pair of free throws to reclaim the lead. Jada Holland chipped in a layup and a jumper tallying an eight-point quarter, as UCSD entered the second period up 16-14.
The Highlanders were unable to match the Tritons 17-point second period, adding just 11 points to their total across the quarter. UCSD maintained a steady lead, entering the locker room with an eight-point advantage, 33-25.
After halftime, the Tritons extended their lead to ten points, starting the second half with a successful jumper. The Highlanders fought for the opportunity to overcome their opponents in a high scoring third quarter. UCSD was able to answer to UCR's 21-point period with 20 points of their own to maintain a sizeable lead as they entered the final quarter.
The Highlanders continued to chip away at the deficit created by the Tritons, outscoring their foes 13-10 in the fourth quarter, but it would not be enough to overcome the lead established by UCSD in the first half. The Tritons took the victory 63-59.
Despite an unfavorable outcome, Coach Powell is ready to bounce back tomorrow, saying "A lot of our mistakes are fixable. That's the good news. There are small things we should already be doing at this point in the season, but that's just part of growth. The rest of it, to me, it looked like we just haven't played a game. We looked like we haven't competed in a few weeks. A lot of the issues are easily fixable and that is encouraging to this team."
The two teams meet again tomorrow, Saturday February 20 at the SRC at 4:00 PM to complete the series.
