The No. 6/7 UC San Diego women’s basketball team opens its season at home at noon Sunday, playing host to Simon Fraser (2-1).
The two teams met last season, and the Tritons came out on top, 75-70.
The Tritons are coming off a record-breaking season. UC San Diego opened 2018-19 with a program-record 30-game winning streak and won the California Collegiate Athletic Association title for the fourth-consecutive season. The team took the CCAA Tournament crown.
The Tritons became the first CCAA team to finish the regular season undefeated. In addition, they ranked No. 2 in the WBCA Top 25 Coaches’ Poll for seven weeks.
Participants in the CCAA Preseason Coaches Poll picked the Tritons to finish first. UC San Diego garnered 11 of 13 first-place votes.
At the national level, the Tritons ranked sixth in the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) Preseason Top 25 Coaches Poll.
But they placed seventh in the D2SIDA Women’s Basketball Preseason National Poll. In D2SIDA’s regional breakdown, UC San Diego ranked second with 54 points and two first-place votes behind Azusa Pacific.
Triton Sydney Sharp enters her senior year. The All-CCAA second team selection started all 31 of the Tritons’ contests last season and excelled from behind the arc. Her 89 3-pointers tied a UC San Diego program record. She also averaged 11.7 points per game.
The Tritons also have high expectations for a pair of sophomores. Brianna Claros’ 2018-19 performance earned her the conference’s Freshman of the Year title. Playing in all of the Tritons’ games, Claros racked up a team-best 103 assists and she held a 1.9 assist-to-turnover ratio. That ranked fourth in the CCAA.
Claros’ classmate Julia Macabuhay played in 12 games last year. She averaged 11.0 points per game, the second-highest among Triton returners.
Following the opener, the Tritons hit the road. They head to Azusa to take part in the West Region Crossover Classic, facing Western Washington at 5:30 p.m. Friday, and Seattle Pacific the following night at 6 p.m.
– Staff reports
