The No. 18 UC San Diego women’s basketball team defeated Cal State East Bay 59-46 on the road Thursday, to remain atop the California Collegiate Athletic Association.
With the victory, their 13th in a row, the Division II Tritons improved to 21-4 on the season and 17-3 in the conference. The Pioneers fell to 16-9 overall and 12-7 in the league.
Tyla Turner jumpstarted the Tritons with three layups in under a minute to pull UC San Diego within a basket of the Pioneers at the end of the game’s first 10 minutes.
Then the Tritons went on a 13-1 run to take a 10-point lead, 24-14, on the way to a 30-22 advantage at halftime.
The Tritons kept their momentum going in the second half, never surrendering their lead.
Brianna Claros had 20 points, a new career high for the sophomore. She added seven rebounds, another best. Turner finished the night with 14 points and six rebounds.
“I thought Bri Claros was the difference tonight. She pushed our pace and ran our team. She had tremendous poise and competitiveness,” head coach Heidi VanDerveer said.
UC San Diego will remain up north for its next game, at Cal State Monterey Bay at 1 p.m. Saturday.
– Staff reports
