Saturday, March 2
La Jolla, Calif.
2:00 p.m.
California State University at Northridge
3-26,1-18Big West
66
at
64
UC San Diego
12-17,8-10Big West
1
2
3
4
OT 1
F
CSUN
10
10
15
22
9
66
UC San Diego
17
10
16
14
7
64
Photo by: Chuck Marvel
CSUN Wins Thriller in Overtime at UC San Diego
3/2/2024 8:33:00 PM | Women's Basketball
SAN DIEGO, Calif.—CSUN Women's Basketball defeated the San Diego Tritons 66-64 in overtime on Saturday at LionTree Arena. Kayanna Spriggs led the way for the Matadors as she gathered 14 points and 16 rebounds. Two more Matadors scored in double digits, Erica Adams with 14 and Kaitlyn Elsholz with 10.
CSUN rallied from 17 points down in the third quarter to pick up its first road win of the season.
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Tritons opened the game with a 6-0 run before Spriggs fired with a layup. UC San Diego didn't flinch as the Tritons increased their lead to 8-2. Elsholz struck next with her own layup to chip at the Tritons' lead. UC San Diego continued to pull away but Spriggs and Arina Nikishina each made baskets to end the first quarter bringing CSUN to within 17-10.
UC San Diego returned to the second quarter reinvigorated as the Tritons went on a 6-2 run. Adams followed with her own basket before the Tritons pulled away again. Nikishina made a jumper and was followed by a 3-pointer from Laney Amundsen in the last minute to keep the Matadors in the game as the first half closed at 27-20.
The Matadors refused to fold as they returned in the third quarter with a layup from Spriggs. Adams followed next as CSUN climbed to 34-26. The Tritons gained control as they went on a 9-0 run, but CSUN didn't let them hold it for long as Adams made a jumper. Olivia Smith followed with a 3-pointer before Spriggs kept the ball rolling with a layup. Adams rounded off the Matadors with a jumper with 1:06 left on the clock. The third quarter ended with the Matadors trailing 43-35.
CSUN kept up their strike into the fourth quarter as Smith made another 3-pointer. The Tritons tried to put some more space between them, but Spriggs, Adams, and Talo Li-Uperea kept the game at 52-44 with free throws and a jumper. Elsholz landed the Matadors' next blow with a 3-pointer to pull CSUN closer at 54-49. The Tritons managed two more baskets, but CSUN refused to let up as Adams made another jumper. Li-Uperesa struck next as she tied the game with a steal to lead to a layup with 2:33 on the clock. The Tritons took the lead back with a free throw, but Adams tied the game with one minute left on the clock to go into overtime at 57-57.
The Tritons struck first, but Elsholz fired back with a 3-pointer to take the lead again. UC San Diego made enough to overtake the Matadors by one point, but CSUN took the lead back. Nikishina hit a basket plus a free throw and was followed by a layup from Elsholz. Smith kept the ball rolling with her own layup. Li-Uperesa made a free throw to extend the lead to 66-62. The Tritons made two free throws but were unable to close the distance, missing a late three as time expired.
NOTES OF THE GAME
"I'm so proud of this group, the heart and the resiliency we showed is why we all should be in this profession."
"Our bench was huge today. Arina and Liv made critical plays for us and that's what teams that stay the course do, you stay ready for when your name is called."
"Kayanna and Erica were the solid leaders, they have been for us all year."
"A special thanks to my staff who continue to work hard to prepare me and this team."
UP NEXT
CSUN returns home for the last game of the season against Hawai'i for Senior Day. Tip-off is slated for 6 p.m. The game will be broadcast on ESPN+.
#GoMatadors
CSUN rallied from 17 points down in the third quarter to pick up its first road win of the season.
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Tritons opened the game with a 6-0 run before Spriggs fired with a layup. UC San Diego didn't flinch as the Tritons increased their lead to 8-2. Elsholz struck next with her own layup to chip at the Tritons' lead. UC San Diego continued to pull away but Spriggs and Arina Nikishina each made baskets to end the first quarter bringing CSUN to within 17-10.
UC San Diego returned to the second quarter reinvigorated as the Tritons went on a 6-2 run. Adams followed with her own basket before the Tritons pulled away again. Nikishina made a jumper and was followed by a 3-pointer from Laney Amundsen in the last minute to keep the Matadors in the game as the first half closed at 27-20.
The Matadors refused to fold as they returned in the third quarter with a layup from Spriggs. Adams followed next as CSUN climbed to 34-26. The Tritons gained control as they went on a 9-0 run, but CSUN didn't let them hold it for long as Adams made a jumper. Olivia Smith followed with a 3-pointer before Spriggs kept the ball rolling with a layup. Adams rounded off the Matadors with a jumper with 1:06 left on the clock. The third quarter ended with the Matadors trailing 43-35.
CSUN kept up their strike into the fourth quarter as Smith made another 3-pointer. The Tritons tried to put some more space between them, but Spriggs, Adams, and Talo Li-Uperea kept the game at 52-44 with free throws and a jumper. Elsholz landed the Matadors' next blow with a 3-pointer to pull CSUN closer at 54-49. The Tritons managed two more baskets, but CSUN refused to let up as Adams made another jumper. Li-Uperesa struck next as she tied the game with a steal to lead to a layup with 2:33 on the clock. The Tritons took the lead back with a free throw, but Adams tied the game with one minute left on the clock to go into overtime at 57-57.
Talo Li-Uperesa strikes! She makes a layup to bring the Matadors closer!
— CSUN Women's Basketball (@CSUNWBB) March 2, 2024
UCSD 56, CSUN 55#GoMatadors pic.twitter.com/CRNhnd6ZW0
The Tritons struck first, but Elsholz fired back with a 3-pointer to take the lead again. UC San Diego made enough to overtake the Matadors by one point, but CSUN took the lead back. Nikishina hit a basket plus a free throw and was followed by a layup from Elsholz. Smith kept the ball rolling with her own layup. Li-Uperesa made a free throw to extend the lead to 66-62. The Tritons made two free throws but were unable to close the distance, missing a late three as time expired.
Olivia Smith steals and scores!
— CSUN Women's Basketball (@CSUNWBB) March 3, 2024
CSUN 65, UCSD 62#GoMatadors pic.twitter.com/YwhW8CX8LA
NOTES OF THE GAME
- CSUN gets its first conference win of the season.
- The Matadors controlled the basket as they outshot the Tritons in field goal percentage (37.1-27.5), 3-point percentage (27.8-9.4) and free throws (83.3-65.4).
- UC San Diego led in steals with 17 to CSUN's eight.
"I'm so proud of this group, the heart and the resiliency we showed is why we all should be in this profession."
"Our bench was huge today. Arina and Liv made critical plays for us and that's what teams that stay the course do, you stay ready for when your name is called."
"Kayanna and Erica were the solid leaders, they have been for us all year."
"A special thanks to my staff who continue to work hard to prepare me and this team."
UP NEXT
CSUN returns home for the last game of the season against Hawai'i for Senior Day. Tip-off is slated for 6 p.m. The game will be broadcast on ESPN+.
#GoMatadors
Team Stats
CSUN
UCSD
FG%
.371
.275
3FG%
.278
.094
FT%
.833
.654
RB
51
48
TO
23
13
STL
8
17
Game Leaders
Pts
14
FGM
6
3FGM
0
FTM
2
Pts
14
FGM
5
3FGM
0
FTM
4
Pts
10
FGM
4
3FGM
2
FTM
0
Pts
9
FGM
3
3FGM
0
FTM
3
Players Mentioned
G
/ Women's Basketball
F
/ Women's BasketballG
/ Women's Basketball
F
/ Women's BasketballC
/ Women's Basketball
F
/ Women's BasketballF
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