Box Score DAVIS, Calif. - For the third consecutive game the Gauchos had something to take away from a road game against a team they were chasing in the Big West.
Unfortunately, for the third straight game it wasn't a victory.
Conference-leading UC Davis came out on fire, knocking down 15 of their first 26 shots, building a lead UCSB was unable to rally from in a 70-61 defeat Saturday afternoon at The Pavilion.
"We're capable of a good start on the road, because we do with Riverside. I thought in the Long Beach game, as disappointing as it was, we never bailed in and quit, we played with some pride," said head coach Bonnie Henrickson.
"This one here we executed a couple things in the game plan we have not done all year, and that's not really been a strength for us, because I can think it's the right thing to do, but if we're not good at it it's the wrong thing to do."
Drew Edelman lead the Gauchos in scoring for the fourth consecutive game with 17 points, while also grabbing 10 rebounds for her sixth double-double of the season. Coco Miller knocked down five of nine tries from downtown for 15 points, her best offensive output since , while Drea Toler had 13 points and dished a game-high seven assists.
The loss dropped the Gauchos to 12-15 on the season and an even 7-7 in Big West play, and closed out the 2016-17 regular season with a 4-10 mark on the road. It was the fifth loss in six games, and will keep UCSB in the fifth spot in the race for conference playoff positioning.
UC Davis (21-6, 12-2) rained triples in the first two quarters, making six of 12 through the first half en route to finishing 10 of 20 from beyond the arc for the game. Four different players buried multiple shots from downtown, lead by Pele Gianotti's three of seven, which opened things up in transition and in the half court offense for Aggie leading scorer Morgan Bertsch.
"I thought we did some really good things to counter and bring pressure to Bertch, and at times we did in trying to double. It's [the] eight for 13 that are problematic on skip threes, not plays that are for threes, which means the breakdown is the pressure on the ball," Henrickson said.
Gianotti lead all scorers with 19 points, while Bertsch scored 15 on seven of 13 shooting with seven rebounds and four assists. Davis lead by six after one, 12 at the half, and by 17 at 52-35 through three.
Early foul trouble limited Edelman to just a pair of field goal attempts, as at the half the Gauchos had six players with just one field goal. It was the return to form from the land of plenty by Miller that pushed the UCSB offense forward, spotting up on the wings and straight away and splashing the strings for four of her five second quarter triple tries. Miller made five or more threes for the third time this season.
In the second half Toler and Edelman roared to life, with the duo responsible for 25 of the 34 points the Gauchos put up over the final 20 minutes. The center from Sunnyvale scored six in the third and eight in the fourth, while making all six of her free throw attempts, and finished a perfect seven of seven from the stripe in the game.
"Her last three catches on a drop-step pivot baseline to get a good look and get fouled and score is what we need," said Henrickson
Toler twisted and slashed for nine points in the final frame, while also handing out three of her assists. She also had the helper on four of the seven second quarter field goals by UCSB.
The rare northern California trip also allowed the families of fellow NorCal natives Onome Jemerigbe and Chaya Durr see them play close to home. Jemerigbe finished with five points and grabbed five rebounds, level with Taylor Farris for second most by a Gaucho, while Durr had four points, three boards and a block.
"In February everybody's trying to find a little nugget, a little wrinkle, and I think we made some progress on a couple things, obviously not enough," Henrickson said.
UCSB closes out the regular season with their final two games back in the friendly confines of the Thunderdome. The Gauchos host UC Irvine on Thursday, March 2nd at 7 PM, and close out the pre-playoff campaign against Cal Poly on Saturday, March 4th at 4 PM.
"We're fortunate we get to finish at home; Irvine's a team that went up and won at Poly, we've got to guard, defend and rebound. We are in a dog fight, and the most important thing to do is we can help ourselves, and find a way to play well enough to embrace the process to win [against] Irvine," said Henrickson.
"They have so much love and pride for the seniors, and so much pride in what we're trying to do and where we're trying to go. This thing [isn't] over until it's over, and it takes what it takes, and we've got to keep fighting.
