Cal Poly Women’s Basketball returned to the win column on Saturday afternoon, taking the road victory against the UC San Diego Tritons by a final of 49-39 inside LionTree Arena on Saturday, Jan. 13.
The win was the Mustangs’ (8-8, 4-2 Big West) first against the Tritons since New Year’s Day 2021 and helped them continue their strong start to conference play. The Cal Poly victory also snapped the Tritons’ (7-9, 3-2 Big West) three-game winning streak.
As the first half of Saturday’s matinee progressed, it seemed like the Green and Gold would have no trouble with UCSD. The Mustangs’ defense was active almost right from the tip, holding the Tritons to just 2/14 shooting for the first quarter and allowing only six points.
Cal Poly’s defensive success carried over to the offensive side as well. After the Tritons took what would be their only lead of the game at 6-5, the Mustangs ripped off a 9-0 run over the final 4:20 of the quarter and took a 14-6 lead into the second.
The offense still wasn’t done, as they followed up a UCSD three-pointer with an 8-0 run of their own, putting them up 22-9 with 4:14 to go in the half. However, the Tritons wouldn’t allow the Mustangs to pull far enough away to seal the win, as they outscored Cal Poly during the rest of the half, leaving the Mustang lead at 30-20 entering halftime.
Defensively, the second half was a much different story for the Green and Gold, as UCSD fought their way back into the game by going on a went on a 9-3 run over the first six minutes of the third quarter to draw within four, 33-29.
The Mustangs answered with back-to-back jumpers of their own to go back up by eight, but a 4-0 run by the home team over the final 1:21 of the quarter left the Mustangs reeling and left the score at 37-33 entering the final frame.
It wasn’t over yet, as the Tritons opened the fourth quarter with another 4-0 run, tying the game up at 37 with 5:57 left to play. However, the game becoming tied seemed to actually wake up Cal Poly, as the Mustangs responded with a 12-2 run of their own that lasted the remainder of the game. That run, combined with holding UCSD to just 1/10 shooting for the entire quarter, helped the Mustangs pull ahead and clinch the 10-point victory.
Even with the double-digit margin of victory, the stat sheet was fairly even at the game’s end. While neither team shot all that well, it was still Cal Poly who was more efficient, shooting 34.8% (16-46) from the floor, while the Tritons shot just 27.9% (12-43). However, the Mustangs struggled when it came to three-point shooting, going just 16.7% (2-12) from deep compared to the Tritons’ 26.7% (4-15).
And while the Mustangs were also better from the free throw line, they only took one more free throw than their opponent. The Green and Gold finished the night at 75 % (15-20) from the stripe, while UCSD went 57.9% (11-19). The Mustangs also imposed their will off the glass all game long, winning the rebounding battle 38-26 (29-21 defensively).
Individually, the Mustangs were led by junior guard/forward Sydney Bourland, who finished with 15 points, 4 rebounds, 1 assist, and 2 steals. Senior forward Natalia Ackerman also continued her standout play this season, totaling 5 points, 9 rebounds, 1 assist and 4 blocks.
Up next, the Mustangs will look to capture their first home win of 2024, when they host the CSU Bakersfield Roadrunners on Saturday, Jan. 20 at 2 p.m. inside Mott Athletics Center.