Box Score FULLERTON, Calif. – A strong opening half helped the UC Santa Barbara women's basketball team emerge victorious against Cal State Fullerton in dominant fashion, winning 75-66 on Saturday night at Titan Gym to record its third Big West Conference victory of the season and second on the road.
The win marked UCSB head coach Bonnie Henrickson's 400th win in her career.
"It's great, but of course it's more about getting our third conference win, a road win, and a payback game for all the right reasons," said Henrickson after the win, "but I will say, having a chance to reflect, just how important it is where you are. I've been at three places as a head coach that cared about and supported women's basketball. At Virginia Tech, Kansas, and at UCSB, at all three places, women's basketball matters and it's relevant in those communities and campuses."
"In addition, obviously, the great players I've had, the great teams, the great assistants- it has to start with those people and all the support that you get to be able to hire these great people and recruit some great players. Of course, I'm also so grateful for my family's support throughout my career."
Junior point guard Danae Miller was one of four Gauchos to crack double-digits in scoring, finishing with 17 points and four rebounds. Sophomore center Megan Ormiston scored a career-high 13 points, redshirt senior guard Tal Sahar scored 12 points, redshirt senior guard scored Coco Miller had 10, and junior guard Mira Shulman started her first career game in the Gauchos' win.
The Gauchos enjoyed a productive first quarter, leaping out to a 20-10 lead while holding the Titans to just 5-of-20 from the field. The Gauchos broke the deadlock of the early 4-4 scoreline with a 16-4 run, in which Danae Miller had seven points and Sahar added five.
UCSB managed the following quarter well, leading by as much as 15 with 6:05 remaining in the half. The Titans didn't manage to get any closer than within seven of the Gauchos, after going on a 10-2 run that the visitors were able to undo by the end of the quarter, leading 38-27.
Ormiston was a key reason as to why the Gauchos found success in the first half, scoring eight points in the 12 minutes she spent on the court after freshman center Ila Lane was whistled for two fouls in the first quarter.
In the first few minutes of the third quarter, Fullerton again pulled within seven of the Gauchos, but Coco Miller drained a three-pointer that re-established the double-digit lead for UCSB on the next possession.
Santa Barbara's lead wouldn't be cut down to under 10 until the final minute of the third quarter, when Amiee Book made a layup to cut UCSB's lead to 54-45.
Once again, the Gauchos responded with a triple of their own to extend their lead to 12, as Sahar got the first points of the fourth quarter.
The Titans slowly chipped away at UCSB's lead and pulled within six at the 5:05 mark of the final period, but Lane and Danae Miller kept the Gauchos ahead as time continued to tick, and all that was left to do to keep Fullerton at bay for the rest of the game was to knock down free throws.
The Gauchos have a single game next week, heading on the road to take on UC Davis on Saturday, Feb. 1. Tip-off is scheduled for 2:30 p.m. The game will be broadcast on BigWest.TV and a live audio broadcast will be available on UCSBGauchos.com.
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