No. 14 Tritons Use Second Half Surge to Take Toros 69-64

CARSON, Calif. -- Seven second half leads were not enough for the Cal State Dominguez Hills women's basketball team as the No. 14 UC San Diego Tritons used an all-important final two-minutes of play to keep their perfect record alive, taking the Toros in a 69-64 decision. Leading with 16 points on the day, Whitney Gantt kept the Toros alive, while grabbing seven picks as well.

Two additional Toros scored in double-figures as well as Brandie McCann tallied 14 while Neka Mixon grabbed her second double-double in as many games with 13 points and 11 boards.

Scoring seven of the Tritons' final nine points, Chelsea Carlisle grabbed a season-high 28 points to guide UCSD to the win, their 10th-straight of the year, a new UCSD season-opening record.

Despite the loss, the Toros out shot the Tritons 42.1% to 39.6%, led by Gantt who went 7-of-8 from the floor.

The Toros also out-rebounded their opponent by a count of 35-to-28.

Fouls ultimately led to CSUDH's demise, two Toros left the game due to five, adding to CSUDH's total of 29.

Four Toro fouls in the decisive last 1:46 of play gave UCSD five points from the line, the deciding factor in the five-point difference.

Controlling the game with a healthy lead for a total of 13:42 in the first half, the Toros entered the break up by five off a Mixon shot at 29-24.

The second half evolved into a consistent back-and-forth game with the lead exchanging hands seven times. Gantt would give CSUDH their final lead with 2:24 left in regulation before UCSD's Annette Ilg started the final scoring streak for the Tritons that left the Toros with a 69-64 loss.

The loss drops the Toros to a 3-7 overall mark (2-3 CCAA). CSUDH will next see action as they take on the Gators of San Francisco State in the Torodome on Friday, January 8. Tip-off is slated for 5:30pm.

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