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Friday, December 31, 2010

UCSD Returns to Action with 77-55 Pummeling of Sonoma State

LA JOLLA, Calif. - The UC San Diego women's basketball team returned to the court following a 10-day layoff and showed little signs of rust on Thursday, downing visiting Sonoma State 77-55 in a California Collegiate Athletic Association clash at RIMAC Arena.

The Seawolves erased a 15-point deficit to pull within 54-50 with seven and a half minutes remaining, but the Tritons closed the game on a commanding 23-5 run to pick up their third win in the last four games.

UCSD improves to 5-7 overall and ups its conference mark to 3-2 heading into next week's three-game road trip. The Tritons will play three times in a span of six days, beginning with a stop at Cal State East Monday evening at 5:30.

Junior point guard Chelsea Carlisle turned in another All-American effort for UCSD, scoring a game-high 31 points on 12-for-20 shooting. The Agoura Hills native sank a career-high six three-pointers on 10 attempts and also racked up five rebounds, seven assists, three steals and a blocked shot in 36 minutes.

Freshman guard Megan Perry had a stellar effort as well, finishing with a season-high 12 points in her first career start. She finished 4-of-7 from the field and 2-of-3 from the three-point line. Sophomore guard Emily Osga chipped in with 12 points, three boards and five assists.

Katrina Fahey scored 15 points to lead Sonoma (4-5, 2-3 CCAA), but no other player finished with more than nine for the visitors.

UCSD shot 46% (26-56) for the game, including a blistering 48% (13-27) in the second half. The Tritons were on target from long distance all evening, draining a season-high tying 12 threes on 25 attempts, 48%. UCSD also hit 12 threes in the 94-54 win over Notre Dame de Namur on November 27.

The Tritons scored the first eight points of the game and led by as many as 15 (36-21) in the first half before taking a 36-24 lead into the locker room at the break. Carlisle finished with 15 first-half points, while Perry finished 4-for-5 from the field and put in 10.

Lauren Freidenberg scored to put UCSD in front 42-28 two minutes into the second half, but Aly Conway scored consecutive baskets to ignite a 26-12 SSU run over the next 10 minutes. Fahey and Jaclyn Bisordi hit back-to-back threes to bring the Seawolves to within 51-45 with 8:46 left and Oly Larkin's triple a little more than a minute later made it 54-50.

Carlisle answered with a runner for UCSD on the other end and then proceeded to score six of the Tritons' next eight points, including a big three that pushed the lead back to 11 at 64-53 with 4:43 remaining.

The Tritons scored 15 unanswered points to put the game away with Carlisle and Osga hitting back-to-back triples to cap off the run. Freshman Erin Dautremont then got into the act, hitting her first-career three with 19 seconds left to give UCSD its biggest advantage at the final horn.

Six of the Tritons' 12 threes came during the game's final eight minutes.

Sonoma shot 38% (20-53) from the field and outrebounded UCSD 35-34 for the game, but the Tritons forced the Seawolves into 18 turnovers leading to 24 points on the other end.

UCSD will be going for the season sweep of Cal State East Bay on Monday after defeating the Pioneers 61-37 on December 14. The Tritons will then face Chico State on Friday and Cal State Stanislaus on Saturday to wrap up the trip.

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