Box Score: UC San Diego 77, Sonoma State 55
LA JOLLA, Calif- Following an 11-day hiatus from competition for the Sonoma State women's basketball team, freshman
Kristina Fahey scored a career-high 15 points, but the Seawolves, down just four points with 6:39 remaining in the second half, surrendered a 23-5 UC San Diego run to close out the game, sending the Tritons to a 77-55 win on Thursday night at RIMAC Arena in La Jolla.
The loss drops Sonoma State below .500 at 4-5 overall and 2-3 in the CCAA. UC San Diego improves to 3-2 in conference play and 5-7 overall.
The Seawolves never led in the contest, falling behind 8-0 before senior
Oly Larkin put SSU on the board with two free throws at the 17:50 mark. UC San Diego eventually extended its lead to 13 points at 17-4 and held Sonoma State from coming within eight points for the rest of the half.
A made three throw by the Tritons' Erin Dautremont with 53 seconds left in the opening period gave UCSD its largest lead of the half at 36-21. Fahey hit a three pointer just four seconds later, which put the Seawolves down 12 points (36-24) at the halftime buzzer.
UC San Diego continued to hold its ground in the second half, keeping the lead at or near double digits until Sonoma State began a 8-0 run to come within four points at 51-47 with 8:15 left. Both teams traded three-point baskets on consecutive possessions, but it was the Tritons who began their late surge to run away with the 77-55 victory.
Fahey's 15 points came on 5 of 8 shooting from the floor, including 3 of 5 from beyond the three-point arc. She also corralled a team-hight seven rebounds on Thursday, as Sonoma State outrebounded UC San Diego, 35-34. The Seawolves hit on just 37.7 percent of its shots (20 of 53), though, while the Tritons converted 26 of 56 shots (46.4 percent), including 12 three-pointers.
Aly Conway and
Jaclyn Bisordi both chipped in with nine points apiece.
For the Tritons, the reigning CCAA Women's Basketball Player of the Year, Chelsea Carlisle, scorched the nets for 31 points on 12 of 20 shooting, including six three-pointers. Osga and Megan Perry added 12 points each for UC San Diego.
Sonoma State will now return home to the friendly confines of The Wolves' Den for a season-high five-game homestand, beginning with a battle against archrival Humboldt State on Sunday. Tipoff between the Seawolves and Lumberjacks is set for a special 1 p.m. start time in Rohnert Park.
