UC San Diego Dominates Air Force 55–43 Behind Smothering Defense and Early Offensive Surge

Tritons Jump Out to 22–4 First-Quarter Lead, Never Trail as Condron, Rose, and Feiman Power UCSD to Second Straight Home Victory

LA JOLLA, Calif. | UC San Diego women’s basketball delivered its most complete performance of the season Saturday afternoon, defeating Air Force 55–43 inside LionTree Arena. The Tritons (2–3) controlled the game from the opening tip, exploding to a 22–4 first-quarter lead and never looking back as they evened the all-time series with the Falcons (3–3) at 1–1.

Erin Condron led UC San Diego with 12 points, adding three key blocks, while Makayla Rose posted an all-around standout game with 11 points, seven rebounds, five assists, and three steals. Lev Feiman reached double digits with 10 points. In her first start of the season, Rosa Smith provided a spark with nine points, five rebounds, and steady defensive pressure.

FIRST QUARTER: TRITONS SET THE TONE

UC San Diego wasted no time asserting dominance, storming ahead to a 6–0 lead and converting turnovers into offense. Rose sparked the Tritons with an eight-point surge, stretching the margin to 14–2. Back-to-back baskets from Feiman and Dymonique Maxie closed out a statement first quarter, with the Tritons forcing 10 turnovers and scoring 16 points off takeaways.

SECOND QUARTER: SMITH, ROSE PUSH LEAD TO 24

The Falcons momentarily settled in, but UCSD countered with consecutive threes from Smith and Rose, extending the advantage to 32–8. Though the Tritons cooled slightly before halftime, they maintained a commanding 32–14 lead at the break. Rose (9 points) and Feiman (8 points) paced a sharp, disciplined first half.

THIRD QUARTER: DEFENSIVE GRIT HOLDS THE LINE

Both teams struggled to generate offense early in the third quarter as Air Force trimmed the deficit to 34–18. Condron broke through with a pair of inside baskets, while Rose connected on a jumper to keep UCSD firmly in control despite a 10–6 scoring disadvantage in the period.

FOURTH QUARTER: MA HITS 1,000-POINT MILESTONE, TRITONS CLOSE OUT STRONG

Air Force attempted a final surge, but each push was met with a timely Triton response. Smith drilled a clutch three to halt a Falcons run, and with under three minutes remaining, Sabrina Ma buried a long-range shot—her 1,000th career point—to restore a 15-point cushion. UC San Diego’s poise down the stretch sealed the 55–43 win.

COACH VANDEVEER’S REACTION

Head coach Heidi VanDerveer praised her team’s defensive focus and resilience:

“I thought we came out and set the tone early with our defense. People were really working hard to commit to our principles… I’m very proud and happy for our team. They worked really hard, and I think we’ve seen the incremental gains of improvement.”

TRITON TIDBITS

• Sabrina Ma reached 1,000 career points with her late fourth-quarter three.
• UCSD dominated key stat categories: points off turnovers (25–6), second-chance points (11–7), points in the paint (34–22), and fast-break points (10–6).
• Starting lineup: Condron, Feiman, Ma, Rose, Smith.
• UC San Diego improves the all-time series with Air Force to 1–1.

UC San Diego continues its homestand Monday at 6 p.m. against Occidental in LionTree Arena. The matchup will stream live on ESPN+, with live stats available at UCSDTritons.com.

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-- By Michael R. Thomas

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