Tritons women stun Irvine, men fall short

Tale of Two Teams: UCSD Basketball Splits Weekend Against UC Irvine

It was the best of times and the worst of times for Tritons basketball this weekend, with UCSD's women's team pulling off a stunning upset while the men's squad fell agonizingly short in a heartbreaker at LionTree Arena.

The women's team delivered the headline grabber Saturday afternoon, marching into UC Irvine's Bren Events Center and handing the Anteaters their first conference loss in dramatic fashion, 68-66. The victory snapped UCI's 16-game winning streak and kept the Tritons tied for first place in the Big West at 8-1.

Rosa Smith torched the Anteaters with 20 points, drilling four three-pointers while Erin Condron contributed 19 points and seven rebounds. The defending Big West champions forced 14 turnovers and converted them into 24 points, proving they're serious about a repeat run.

Meanwhile, the men's team suffered a gut-punch loss at home, falling 61-59 to UC Irvine in front of a sellout crowd of 4,000 fans. Despite a double-double from Leo Beath with 16 points and 10 rebounds, the Tritons couldn't close out the Anteaters.

UCSD rallied from a six-point second-half deficit to tie the game at 59 with just under four minutes remaining, but the Tritons failed to score another bucket. The loss drops the men to 15-6 overall and 5-4 in conference play.

Both teams remain in solid position for the Big West tournament, which returns to Lee's Family Forum in Henderson this March. The men have won all three games they've played at that venue, including last year's championship thriller against UCI.

Sources: UCSD Tritons | UCI Athletics | ESPN