Heidi VanDerveer says the one constant for her UC San Diego women’s basketball team over the past three or four years has been transition.
“Everyone on this team has been some part of us moving from Division II to Division I in the NCAA,” said VanDerveer. “There was excitement, but there was also a lot of sacrifice.”
During the transition period, the Tritons were ineligible for NCAA Tournament play. They weren’t even allowed to play in the Big West Tournament. They went into each season knowing their campaign would end before any of their rivals.
“This team learned to play with limitations,” said VanDerveer.
Which is why UCSD’s coach sees no problem with the Tritons opening their first NCAA Division I Tournament with a play-in game Wednesday night against Southern University less than 100 hours after winning three games in three days to claim the Big West title and an automatic NCAA berth.
“We’re ready for anything,” said VanDerveer.
What some would see as an obstacle, the Tritons women see as opportunity.
And it has something to do with how UCSD reached the pinnacle last week. Not only did the Tritons win three games in three days, they did it with six players playing marathons.
Program anchor Parker Montgomery, who missed time earlier in the season with a wrist injury, sat out two minutes over three days. Sophomore guard Gracie Gallegos played 113 of 120 possible minutes. Junior guard Sabrina Ma played 112.
After missing only two minutes in the first two games, foul trouble limited UCSD scoring leader Sumayah Sugapong to 29 minutes in the championship game. Senior Kayanna Spriggs and sophomore Erin Condron split time in the post.
Sophomore guard Junae Mahan saw the most time off the bench with 17 or her 25 minutes coming in the finale in relief of Sugapong.
Only one other Triton got off the bench.
“They gave everything they had,” VanDerveer said of her regulars. “No one talked about being tired. They’re used to overcoming challenges. They did it again. Playing Wednesday … we’ll be ready.”
Plus, UCSD is playing its best basketball of the season. The Tritons won six of their last seven games and nine of their last 11.
UCSD takes a 20-15 record into Wednesday night’s 6 p.m. game against Southwestern Athletic Conference Champion Southern University (20-14). The winner will advance to play No. 1-seeded UCLA on Friday in a West Regional first-round game.
VanDerveer and her staff watched film of Southern in recent days. Her verdict: “They are very athletic. They are comparable to us in size. It will be a defensive battle. It will take a total team effort.”
Like UCSD, Southern got on a roll after a slow start, going 15-3 in conference play before winning the SWAC Tournament. Also like UCSD, Southern is balanced. The leading scorer and floor leader is 5-foot-9 senior guard Aniya Gourdine, who averages 11.9 points and 4.7 rebounds a game.
Sugapong, a 5-7 sophomore guard out of La Jolla Country Day, leads UCSD with 14.7 points per game. She also leads the Tritons in assists and steals and has grown into a leadership role.
The 5-10 Ma averages 10.1 points a game and leads the Tritons by hitting 35% from 3-point range. The 6-1 Gallegos averages 9.5 points and scored a season-high 24 points with seven rebounds in the Big West title game.
The 6-4 Condron (8.3 points, 4.8 rebounds) and 6-2 Spriggs (7.9 points, 7.1 rebounds) form a formidable tandem in the middle. And five-year program veteran Montgomery came on strong at the end of the season to average 7.2 points a game.
“We are extremely excited to be here,” VanDerveer said. “We are enjoying the opportunity. And we are ready. Getting here, now, has been our goal since the transition began. It’s been a journey.”
NCAA Tournament First Four: No. 16 UCSD (20-15) vs. No. 16 Southern (20-14)
When: 6 p.m. Wednesday
Where: Pauley Pavilion, Los Angeles
TV: ESPNU
