UC Santa Barbara at UC Irvine

Bren Events Center - Irvine, Calif.

All-Time Record vs. the Anteaters: 66-33

Last Meeting: March 12, 2019: at UC Irvine 53, UCSB 46 (2019 Big West Tournament First Round)

 

UC Santa Barbara at UC Riverside

SRC Arena - Riverside, Calif.

All-Time Record vs. the Highlanders: 27-23

Last Meeting: March 2, 2019: at UCSB 61, UC Riverside 44

 

Both games this weekend will be livestreamed on BigWest.TV, produced by the respective host institutions. Links to the streams are available above or on the women's basketball schedule page.

 

Both games this weekend will be broadcast live on UCSBGauchos.com. Sports Information Director Arthur Wilkie will handle the play-by-play on Thursday night, while Steve Granado will fill in on Saturday night at UC Riverside. Links to both broadcasts are available above.

 

G14: Cal State Fullerton 70, UCSB 68 (OT) - UCSB jumped out to a 14-point lead in the second quarter and was ahead by six heading into the fourth quarter, but Cal State Fullerton came back to force overtime and opened the extra period on a 6-1 run. Danae Miller, who scored the 500th point of her career in the game, got the Gauchos back within one but Raina Perez hit a three that put the Titans over the line.

 

G15: UCSB 52, Cal Poly 50 - In another exciting chapter of the Central Coast rivalry between these two, the Gauchos again raced out to a lead after the first quarter but put up just 15 points in the following two combined. Coco Miller, in the midst of a career-high night from beyond the arc, and Danae Miller, who hit the game-winning layup with 11 seconds left, helped pull the Gauchos out of a nine-point hole as UCSB won its first Big West game of the season.

 

UC Irvine comes into Thursday night's matchup sporting a 4-11 overall record after an 0-1 start to conference play. The Anteaters have lost their last nine matchups against Division I opponents, the latest of which was a 70-62 defeat at CSUN. However, Irvine has only played four games at the Bren Events Center this year, coming up with a 3-1 record in those games. Star player Jordan Sanders hasn't played since Nov. 30, but her average of 13.6 points and 6.6 rebounds per game remains the best on the team. Lauren Saiki is second with 11.7 points per matchup, and Alexus Seaton has the most rebounds per game with 4.5.

 

UC Riverside played in seven different states throughout non-conference play and they will add another this week in the Big West as the Highlanders travel to Hawai'i on Thursday before welcoming the Gauchos on Saturday night. Entering this week, they stand at 5-10 on the season following a winning start to conference play in a 75-70 win against UC Davis at the SRC Arena. Senior guard Jannon Otto leads the team with 15.1 points per game and 7.6 rebounds per game. Marina Ewodo follows closely behind in both categories, scoring 11.2 points and securing 7.2 rebounds per contest.

 

A pair of Gauchos rank in the top 30 in the NCAA across several statistical categories. Coco Miller has the fifth-best assist-to-turnover ratio in the country with a 3.17 mark. Ila Lane has the most total rebounds in the country (193), second-highest rebounds per game average (12.9), second highest defensive rebounds per game mark (9.3), eighth-most double-doubles (9), and the 27th-best field goal percentage (57%).

 

In last week's game against Pacific, Coco Miller's triple with 7:39 left in regulation made her the 27th member of the 1,000-point club in program history in her 102nd career game. She became the first to surpass the mark since both Nicole Nesbit and Melissa Zornig completed the feat in 2014.

 

UCSB head coach Bonnie Henrickson is just two wins away from her 400th career win. Now in her 23rd season, Henrickson has enjoyed a successful career across three different schools and four different conferences.

 

Coco Miller is 21 assists away from 300 in her career, while Tal Sahar is 20 points away from 500 in her time as a Gaucho. Ila Lane is seven rebounds away from 200 on the season through 15 games played.