There is no doubt that 2026 has treated UC San Diego women’s basketball (12-5, 7-0 Big West) well. In the Tritons’ sixth straight win of the new year, Cal State Bakersfield (6-12, 1-7 Big West) became their latest victim, as the Roadrunners failed to escape the coyote-like Tritons in a 84-66 victory. UCSD remains at the top of the Big West standings — tied with UC Irvine — and continues to inch closer to a potential first Big West regular season title.
Despite little fanfare prior to the season, UCSD has emerged as surprise contenders for the crown. However, the 2025-26 Triton roster features a wealth of talent, with every Triton starter having at least one 15-point game in their last three games. Saturday’s matinee was no different — a different Triton shined in each quarter.
The first quarter was all about senior guard Makayla Rose. The reigning Big West Defensive Player of the Year frustrated the Roadrunners early, scoring six while adding two steals as the Tritons jumped out to an early lead.
Redshirt junior guard Junaé Mahan stole the spotlight in the second quarter. Mahan played all 10 minutes of the period and scored a pair of key buckets, including a triple from center field that gave the Tritons a double-digit lead going into halftime.
After halftime, junior center Erin Condron took the reins. As the rest of the Triton offense stalled and the Roadrunners began closing the gap, the 6-foot-4 Aussie dominated the Roadrunners in the paint, dropping 11 points on 4-for-4 shooting in the period.
The fourth quarter saw an early evening display of redshirt junior guard Rosa Smith’s one-woman show. The Roadrunners could only sit and watch as Smith scored 12 points in three minutes, effortlessly cutting to the rim on one possession and draining a triple on the next.
“I feel like, as a program, it’s going really well,” Rose said to The UCSD Guardian in a postgame interview. “We work really well together, we get along off the court, and I think things are starting to really flow and gel. I think that shows in our results.”
The Tritons quickly jumped out into the lead with a 9-0 run after tipoff, with senior guard Sabrina Ma scoring or assisting on seven of the 9 points. A Roadrunner three-ball spree put a brief pause to the party, giving Bakersfield its first — and only — lead of the game. Ma scored from deep on the next possession, converting a step-back jumper that hit nothing but net.
Defense was the foundation for UCSD’s victory, as an aggressive Triton press frustrated the Roadrunners into 21 turnovers. Four Tritons — Ma, Rose, Mahan, and junior guard Dymonique Maxie — had multiple steals, with Ma leading the way with five.
“Our defense fuels our offense,” head coach Heidi VanDerveer said to The Guardian. “We have committed defenders: Makayla Rose, Dymo, Sab, Erin. They all complement each other very well, and that really gets us going in transition.”
A Bakersfield charge saw the Roadrunners claw within a possession, but any doubts of a Triton victory were quickly shattered when UCSD proceeded to make its next 10 field goals as part of a 24-4 run.
“When we’re consistent both defensively and offensively, we can get runs going,” VanDerveer said. “We have people making big plays, very unselfish basketball, great teamwork, and that leads to getting easy baskets, getting open shots, and getting great stops.”
Now one-third of the way through the Big West season, VanDerveer and company have emerged as surprise contenders for the Big West title. The Tritons are the first team since the 2022-23 Anteaters to win their first seven games of conference play.
Next up for UCSD is a rematch of the 2025 Big West Championship final against UC Davis at home on Thursday, Jan. 22, then a clash with UC Irvine — winners of 15 straight games — on Saturday, Jan. 24.
“Going into these matchups, we really are just going to focus on ourselves,” Rose said. “We’re going to focus on our work. We’re really going to work hard in practice and do what we do best, and hopefully, it works out in our favor.”
