BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (Interstat) — A surging UC San Diego women’s basketball team looks to rebound from a narrow loss when it visits struggling Cal State Bakersfield in a Big West Conference matchup Thursday night at Icardo Center. The Tritons (18-8 overall) enter the contest having won seven of their last nine games, though they are coming off a tough 70-68 home loss to UC Irvine on Feb. 21. UC San Diego previously handled the Roadrunners (7-19) with an 84-66 victory in La Jolla on Jan. 17. A key figure for the Tritons is guard Makayla Rose, who has been a consistent scoring force. She is averaging 17.4 points per game over her last seven contests, including a 28-point performance in a win over Hawaii on Feb. 7. Rose scored 16 points in the recent loss to UC Irvine. Cal State Bakersfield seeks to end a five-game skid, with its last win coming on Jan. 29 at Cal Poly. The Roadrunners fell 60-57 at Cal State Fullerton last time out, despite a strong defensive effort from forward Tena Ikidi, who recorded 13 rebounds and five blocks in that game. Ikidi has 10 blocks over her last two appearances. The Roadrunners’ offense has struggled during their losing streak, failing to reach 70 points in any of the five games. They will need to find a way to contain a UC San Diego offense that has scored 79 or more points in three of its last six outings. UC San Diego’s recent success has been built on a stretch where it played seven of eight games at home. This contest begins a critical final road swing for the Tritons as they jockey for conference tournament positioning. For Cal State Bakersfield, the game represents one of its final chances to build momentum before the regular season concludes. Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m. PST.