SAN DIEGO, Calif.- For UCSB, the early part of the season had been marked by trying to push through adversity on the road.

It came today in the form of a San Diego State University Aztecs team that knocked down 10 of 20 from beyond the arc, and finished making 51.0% of their shots from the field in an 84-70 win over UCSB Sunday afternoon at Viejas Arena.

"There's no miracle involved in this. It's every day try to chip away at it, every day muster up some toughness," said head coach Bonnie Henrickson.

UCSB fell for the fourth straight game to fall to 2-6, and have yet win a road game this season.

Makala Roper had her best offensive game of the season, leading the Gauchos with 14 points by stroking four of eight from downtown. Natalia Bruening made the most of her extended playing time, putting up 11 points, with six rebounds and a block in 22 minutes of action.

"It was good for Roper to get back in the swing a little bit. If you do this for a living, you can identify effort," Henrickson said.

"Natalia came in and was productive, finished around the rim, and protected the rim at times. She got caught in some freshman situations, but I thought her energy was good." 

After giving up the first six points of the game, UCSB battled back to pull within 8-7 4:15 in to the game, but the three point barrage kept the Gauchos from drawing level. San Diego made all four of their attempts from downtown in the quarter, though Roper made all three of her triple tries to lead all scorers with nine points in the first quarter.

A Bruening bucket and Roper tri-ball helped UCSB score five of the final seven points to trail 27-22 after the first 10 minutes.

Drew Edelman's putback after Coco Miller popped home a triple gave UCSB their first lead at 32-31 with 7:12 before halftime. Edelman finished with 10 points and seven rebounds, while Miller finished with 12 points and 10 rebounds for her first double-double of the season.

Chaya Durr again but UCSB in front with a left corner jumper, her final bucket of the game finishing with eight points and four rebounds. It was the only basket for a 3:37 stretch until SDSU jumped back in front to hold a 38-36 advantage at halftime.

In the third quarter the Gauchos fell behind by as much as ten points on two separate occasions. Trailing 52-42 at the 4:22 mark, UCSB scored 11 of the game's next 14 points to pull within 2 on an Edelman putback. Drea Toler finished with five points and a game-high six assists, and her slashing layup with time expiring after rebounding a miss put UCSB ahead 58-57 at the end of three.

But the Aztecs made threes on three of their first four possessions in the final quarter to take the lead for good. San Diego State had five players finish in double digits, with McKynzie Fort leading the way with 18 points, while Lexy Thorderson and Geena Gomez each added 17. The Gauchos made just four of 23 shots from the field in the final quarter, as they were outscored 27-12 in the last ten minutes.

"We've got to grow up. Winning is hard, losing is easy. It's hard to win. We'll get it right," Henrickson said.

UCSB ended up out-rebounding the Aztecs by a 44-26 margin, with 20 boards coming on the offensive glass. After going over three full halves without getting to the free throw line, the Gauchos made nine of 14 from the stripe in the second half.

"I feel like we've got some people fighting, and hopefully we'll get more to join the party," said Henrickson.

The Gauchos return home on Wednesday to face the ninth-ranked UCLA Bruins at the Thunderdome at 7 PM. Tuesday night head coach Henrickson will be joined by UCLA head coach and UCSB alumn Cori Close for a special chalk talk fundraiser on Tuesday, December 13 in Corwin Pavillion.

"We've got to be a whole lot better overnight, but we hope we have an unbelievable crowd. There isn't anybody in that locker room that isn't excited about the opportunity," Henrickson said.