Powered by a career performance from redshirt sophomore guard Sarah Porter, UCSB (7-9, 2-1) defeated UC Riverside (8-8, 2-1) in its Big West home opener 58-54 on Saturday afternoon, the closest win the Gauchos have had at the Thunderdome this season. Porter tied Riverside's Simone DeCoud for game-high honors with 22 points on 6-18 from the field, 4-11 from three-point range and 6-6 from the free throw line.

The 22 points, nine of which came in a tight fourth quarter, were seven more than Porter had ever scored. She also set new personal-bests in steals (4), three-pointers (4) and free throws (6).

Trailing 49-46 with under six minutes to go in the game, redshirt junior Drew Edelman put away a layup to bring UCSB within one. This would be Edelman's last field goal, who finished an efficient 7-9 from the field for 15 points and eight rebounds and tied her career-high with two steals.

Several possessions later, Porter hit her fourth three, a shot which would prove to be the biggest of the game, to put the Gauchos up 51-49 with 4:16 remaining.

Trailing 53-51 with 1:34 to go, UCR's Rejane Verin failed to tie the game by going 1-2 from the line but brought her team within one. Riverside had a chance to take the lead on each of its next two possessions, but a turnover by Lauren Holt was followed by a missed wide-open three-point attempt by Clemence Lefebvre, forcing the visitors to start fouling.

Luckily for the Gauchos, they were able to get the ball to Porter, who was a perfect 6-6 from the line over the final four minutes. With 17 seconds left, she made two free throws to put UCSB up 55-52.

It took just six seconds for DeCoud to answer back with a tough, off-balanced jumper, bringing the Highlanders back within one at 55-54 before Porter knocked down another two free throws.

Still a one-possession game in the final seconds, Jemerigbe was able to pick up a huge steal off of DeCoud before getting fouled and putting the game away at the line. The Gauchos shot just 2-11 (.182) from the field in the fourth quarter, but were 7-8 (.875) on free throws.

"I felt good," Porter said. "My free throw percentage wasn't that good coming into the game, so I was making sure I was focused in practice."

UCSB finished with 20 assists on 21 field goals, just one assist shy of its season-high as a team. Three different Gauchos, including Jemerigbe, Drea Toler and Coco Miller, finished with five assists.

Right off the opening tip, Porter got the Gauchos off to one of their quickest starts of the season, getting a block on the opening possession before hitting a three on the other end. The next two UCSB possessions saw Coco Miller score five unanswered points, knocking down her first three-point attempt of the day and putting away an easy layup to give UCSB an 8-0 lead just 97 seconds in.

That hot start quickly cooled off as Riverside answered back with a 16-4 run, going on to take a 17-15 lead into the second quarter.

The Highlanders' defense became focused on stopping UCSB center Drew Edelman, constantly fronting her and providing help over the top. This led to 12 first half turnovers for the Gauchos, most of which came trying to force the ball inside, nearly equaling their average of 13 turnovers per game during conference play in the opening 20 minutes alone.

With Riverside's defense keyed in on the paint, this opened opportunities up for UCSB's shooters. The Gauchos went 6-12 from three-point range in the first half, with Porter hitting 3-4 herself, allowing the home side to maintain a slim 30-29 lead at the half.

After a DeCoud three put the Highlanders up 34-32 midway through the third, Toler came off the bench and provided UCSB with a huge spark. The Inglewood, Calif. native scored or assisted on 14 points during the Gauchos' 16-9 run over the final 6:32 of the quarter, bringing them into the fourth up 46-40. The Highlanders would open the final period up on a 9-0 run, but it wasn't enough to keep UCSB from earning its second straight victory.

Chaya Durr pulled down a game-high ten rebounds, reaching double-figures for the second time this season, to go along with a season-high two steals. Six different Gauchos had at least two steals, with Jemerigbe and Porter leading all players with four apiece, while UCSB finished with a season-high 16 as a team.

The Gauchos also went 7-22 from three-point range and have now made at least seven threes in nine of their last 12 outings.

The Highlanders had two players score in double-figures, including Decoud (22) and Verin (15). Both players also finished with nine rebounds. As a team, UCR had 24 turnovers, its second-highest total of the season.

UCSB will conclude its current three-game homestand when it faces Long Beach State next Thursday and Hawaii on Saturday.