Sports

UCSD Men's, Women's Hoop Teams Open Play

The women's soccer team earns the top seed in this weekend's CCAA tournament.

The men’s basketball team gave No. 24 Cal all it could handle for much of the first half, but ultimately suffered an 88-53 defeat in an exhibition game against the Golden Bears on Tuesday night at Haas Pavilion in Berkeley.

Justin Cobbs led all scorers with 17 points on 5-of-9 shooting for Cal, while Allen Crabbe finished with 14 points, Jeff Powers put in 12 and Harper Kamp added 10.

Senior center Christian Hatch scored 14 points and grabbed a game-high seven rebounds to lead the Tritons, while sophomore point guard Matt Bailey finished with nine points and three assists and sophomore guard MacKenzie McCullough added eight points and five boards off the bench.

UCSD shot just 31.3 percent (15-48) from the field for the game, but converted 14-of-17 free throws in the first half to keep things close. Cal shot 48.5 percent (32-66) from the floor, including a blistering 61 percent in the second half after hitting only 40 percent of its shots in the opening period.

The Tritons were the better team early on as Ryan Peters drained a three to put UCSD in front 10-7. Four straight points from Hatch gave the Tritons an 18-12 advantage with 11:06 left in the first half and a pair of free throws from Dylan Bohanan gave UCSD its biggest lead at 21-14 a minute later.

The Golden Bears then answered with an 11-3 run over the next three and a half minutes to take a 25-24 lead with six and a half minutes left. After two free throws from Bailey gave the lead back to the Tritons at 28-27, Cobb answered with two at the line on the other end and Cal went on to close the half on a 14-4 spurt to take a 41-32 halftime advantage.

Cal outscored UCSD 22-4 over the first six and a half minutes of the second half and never looked back.

The Tritons tipped off the season on Friday, dropping a 74-42 exhibition to Division I Utah State at the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum in Logan.

Senior point guard Brockeith Pane scored 12 points to lead four players in double figures for the Aggies, while Brady Jardine finished with 11 points and seven rebounds and Preston Medlin and Adam Thoseby chipped in with 10 points apiece.

Sophomore guard MacKenzie McCullough scored 13 points off the bench to pace the Tritons, while senior forward Mike Meza and junior guard Tyler McGrath each put in seven. Senior center Christian Hatch finished with six points and five boards.

The Aggies shot 53.6 percent (30-56) from the field, including 58.3 percent (7-12) from three-point range (7-12), while UCSD shot just 30.6 percent (15-49) overall, including 35.3 percent (6-17) on threes.

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“Utah State is one of the best programs in the country and they showed why tonight,” fifth-year head coach Chris Carlson said. “They are well-coached and they stay within themselves. It was a good experience for us and we’ll grow from this.”

The Tritons were without two starters in both exhibition games, as junior forward Justin Brue and sophomore point guard James McCann sat out with injuries.

UCSD opens the regular season at the Disney West Coast Tip Off Classic in Anaheim Friday through Sunday.

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WOMEN'S BASKETBALL

The UC San Diego women’s basketball team earned a No. 13 national ranking in the USA Today/ESPN Division II Women’s Basketball Coaches Poll released on Tuesday.

The Tritons were second highest among West Region teams in the poll, behind only No. 12 Alaska Anchorage. Grand Canyon (No. 14) and Cal Poly Pomona (No. 19) also represent the West in the top 25.

Defending national champion Clayton State garnered 27 first-place votes and a total of 732 points to earn the top spot in the poll, with Bentley No. 2 and Michigan Tech No. 3. Arkansas Tech and Delta State rounded out the top five.

UCSD, which was ranked No. 9 by Division II Bulletin to start the season, welcomes back all five starters and 11 letterwinners from last year’s squad that went 20-11 overall and finished third in the California Collegiate Athletic Association standings at 17-5.

The 2011-12 Tritons took the court for the first time Thursday, dispatching NAIA Biola University 67-43 in an exhibition matchup at RIMAC Arena. UCSD shot 44 percent from the floor, while limiting Biola to just under 24 percent shooting.

Senior guard Daisy Feder scored a game-high 16 points for UCSD, while senior center Lauren Freidenberg put in 14 and junior guard Emily Osga chipped in with 10. Feder, Freidenberg and Osga combined to hit 17 of their 27 shots (61 percent).

UCSD will face a much stiffer test when it meets national power Stanford at Maples Pavilion on Wednesday at 7 p.m. in its second of three exhibition games.

The Tritons will conclude their preseason slate against another Division I foe in San Diego State on Monday before opening the regular season Nov. 11-12 at the GNAC/CCAA Crossover Classic in the Bay Area. UCSD will open the four-team tournament against Seattle Pacific on Friday and then square off with Western Washington on Saturday.

MEN'S SOCCER

UC San Diego midfielder Corey Wolfrom has been named Wilson/California Collegiate Athletic Association Men’s Soccer Player of the Week for the week of October 24-30, it was announced on Monday.

Wolfrom helped the Tritons close out the regular season with consecutive home victories over San Francisco State and Cal Poly Pomona that, for a few hours, kept UCSD's postseason hopes afloat. Cal State Stanislaus spoiled the Tritons' hopes though, coming away with a 1-0 win at Humboldt State to grab the final spot for the CCAA Championship Tournament.

The sophomore from Yorba Linda, Calif. accounted for both game-winning goals in the wins over the Gators and Broncos. Last Friday against SFSU, Wolfrom had a hand in every goal in the Tritons' 4-1 win. After assisting on Jordan Valeniciano's goal in the 35th minute to tie the contest at 1-1, Wolfrom converted a penalty kick in the 51st to give the Tritons' a 2-1 edge. He later added assists on goals by Evan Walker and Alec Arsht.

On Sunday in the season finale, Woflrom was fouled in the box in the 39th minute and promptly put away the penalty kick to provide the difference in a 1-0 UCSD win over CPP.

He helped aid the Tritons in their late-season surge for a playoff spot, tallying 12 points over the team's final five matches. For the season, Wolfrom led UCSD with five goals, eight assists, 18 points and three game-winners.

UCSD finished the season in third place in the CCAA South with a 10-8 overall record and 9-7 CCAA mark. The Tritons were victorious in their final four matches.

WOMEN'S SOCCER

The seventh-ranked UC San Diego women's soccer team took care of business on Sunday, defeating visiting Cal Poly Pomona 2-0 at Triton Soccer Field to wrap up the regular season on a winning note.

Gabi Hernandez scored what proved to be the game-winner in the 50th minute and Izzy Pozurama added an insurance goal with less than 10 minutes to play as the Tritons recorded their fifth consecutive victory.

UCSD, which had already locked up the No. 1 seed in this weekend's California Collegiate Athletic Association Tournament with its victory over San Francisco State on Friday, concludes the regular season at 13-1-4 overall and finishes the year with a conference tally of 12-1-3.

The Tritons will head to Turlock looking for their first CCAA Tournament title since 2008. UCSD will face No. 4 Cal State Stanislaus (9-4-5, 8-4-4) in a semifinal matchup Friday at 1:30 p.m. at Warrior Stadium.

Cal State Stanislaus (9-4-5, 8-4-4 CCAA) knocked off Humboldt State 5-0 earlier Sunday to claim the fourth and final CCAA Tournament berth.

After a lackluster first half against Pomona (8-6-4, 6-6-4 CCAA), UCSD wasted little time getting on the board in the second period, with Hernandez scoring to give the Tritons the 1-0 advantage at the 49:31 mark. The score marked Hernandez' third goal of the season and the third assist for Cassie Callahan.

In the 82nd minute, with several players surrounding the ball, Pozurama was able to get enough on it to send it past Bronco keeper Emily Miller to put the match out of reach for the visitors. It was Pozurama's third goal of the season and the 13th assist for Hayley Johnson.

While Hernandez, Pozurama and Johnson were the stars offensively, the Triton defense was outstanding in its own right, pitching a fifth consecutive shutout. UCSD's defense has not allowed a goal since Cal State L.A. found the net in overtime on Oct. 14, a span of well over 450 minutes.

Senior goalkeeper Kristin Armstrong had a big hand in the performance, recording seven saves between the pipes on the way to her 11th shutout of the  season. UCSD outshot CPP 14-10 for the game and held a 9-3 edge on corner kicks.

Sunday was also Senior Day at Triton Soccer Field with UCSD's nine seniors being honored prior to the match.

WOMEN'S VOLLEYBALL

Roxanne Brunsting recorded a triple-double and Katie Condon turned in one of the best all-around performances of her career to help the UC San Diego women's volleyball storm back from two sets down to take a 3-2 victory at Cal State Stanislaus Saturday.

Scores were 22-25, 20-25, 25-11, 25-15 and 15-9. UCSD won its seventh consecutive match, its second longest win streak of the season, to improve to 17-4 overall and 13-4 in the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA). Cal State Stanislaus fell to 9-12 and 5-12. The Tritons entered the night with a two-match lead for third place in the league while the Warriors came in in ninth.

Condon contributed in just about every way possible, finishing with 17 kills, 22 digs, two service aces, four blocks and 21 points. Her kill, dig and point totals were match-highs and the four blocks were a career-best. The 22 digs were just one short of her career-high. Condon held a .357 attack percentage, committing two errors in 42 attempts. It was the seventh double-double of the season for the senior outside hitter and her second straight as she had 14 kills and 10 digs in a win at Chico State Friday night.

Brunsting, a senior outside hitter/setter, ran up totals of 13 kills, 23 assists and 19 digs for her second triple-double this season. She also added three blocks while hitting .429 (13-1-28).

For the match, UC San Diego hit .237 (61-20-173) and Cal State Stanislaus swung at .136 (58-31-199). The Tritons out-blocked the Warriors 11-7 and had 92 digs to Stanislaus' 79.

It was the second time this season that the Tritons climbed out of a two set hole to come back and win in five sets as they disappointed Cal State East Bay on Oct. 8 in Hayward.

UCSD swept the season series as it defeated Cal State Stanislaus 3-0 on Sept. 23 at RIMAC Arena. Williamson led all players that night with 18 kills as the Tritons aced the Warriors a season-high 10 times. Condon had seven kills, two aces and 12 digs.

UCSD hosts four of its final five regular-season matches. The CCAA stretch run begins Friday against No. 22 Sonoma State and continues Saturday vs. Humboldt State. Both matches are slated for 7 p.m. starts at RIMAC Arena. UCSD students are admitted free with a valid ID.

SWIMMING AND DIVING

The UC San Diego swimming and diving team opened its season with a sweep over Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Saturday at Canyonview Aquatics Center. Senior All-American Alex Henley won three events as 17 different Tritons picked up victories.

The UCSD men defeated the Stags by a score of 177 to 111. On the women's side, the Tritons topped the Athenas, 175 to 112.

Henley, a three-time NCAA national title holder and the reigning 200 butterfly champion, recorded wins in three different strokes Saturday. The Thousand Oaks native won the 200 freestyle (1:55.73), the 200 fly (2:05.78) and the 200 backstroke (2:05.77).

"Overall the team had a great first meet," said first year UCSD head coach Corrie Falcon. "It feels good to have started out strong and build some momentum heading into the next few weeks."

The Tritons compete at UC Santa Barbara and at the University of San Diego before heading to the Arena Invitational in Long Beach Nov. 17-19.

MEN'S WATER POLO

Josh Stiling recorded a hat trick as the No. 11 UC San Diego men's water polo team dropped No. 12 UC Davis 10-6 in Western Water Polo Association play on Friday night at Canyonview Pool.

UCSD improves to 13-7 overall and 11-3 in WWPA play. UCD also is 11-3 in WWPA competition and is now 20-8 overall. The Tritons have beaten the Aggies in both contests between the teams this season.

"It was a good overall effort," said UCSD head coach Denny Harper. "We had a balanced attack, defensively we held down one of the premier two-meter men in the conference, and we got productive minutes from everyone who played."

UCSD will host its final two home matches before the WWPA Championships on Friday and Sunday against Santa Clara and UCLA, respectively. Four UCSD seniors—William Brown, Matt Kerchner, Morton and Saber—will be honored prior to Sunday's match with the Bruins. 

—Compiled from press releases issued by the UCSD sports information office


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