SAN DIEGO --- Chelsea Hill had a double-double and Lauren Gustafson added 14 points but it was not enough to defeat NCAA Division II No. 9-ranked UC San Diego as Biola fell 67-43 in an exhibition game at RIMAC Arena in San Diego on Thursday night.

The Eagles had a solid first half, hanging with the Tritons despite facing heavy back-court pressure and struggling through a tough shooting night.

Gustafson led the Eagles with 14 points and added seven rebounds while Hill got the double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds and also had three blocks and three steals in 32 minutes.

Biola got off to a slow start as the Tritons jumped out to a 7-0 lead and maintained that lead at 11-4 before a Biola timeout. The Eagles closed the gap to one on a pair of Gustafson free throws, making it 13-12 with 12:34 left in the period.

UC San Diego responded with a 16-4 run over the next six minutes to go on top 29-16 with six minutes left. Biola stayed with it, though and closed the gap to six by outscoring the Tritons 10-3 over the final six minutes of the half.

But UC San Diego came out red hot in the second half, using a 14-2 run to take a commanding 46-28 lead with 13:16. Biola would get no closer than 11 the rest of the way.

Despite shooting just 21.2% (16-of-67) in the contest, the Eagles kept the game close on the boards. Biola held a 50-35 rebound edge including a 26-8 advantage on the offensive glass. The rebounding edge helped Biola to a 16-6 edge in second-chance points.

The Eagles close out the preseason on Saturday, traveling to nearby Cal State Fullerton for an exhibition at 2:00 p.m. Biola opens the regular season against Menlo College at the Holy Names tip-off classic on Friday, Nov. 3.