Pauley Pavilion - Los Angeles, Calif.

All-Time Record vs. the Bruins: 2-18

Last Meeting: December 3, 2017: at No. 7 UCLA 74, UCSB 44

TV: Pac-12/UCLA Live Stream

 

The Thunderdome - Santa Barbara, Calif.

All-Time Record vs. the Lancers: 0-2

Last Meeting: November 23, 2019: at CBU 85, UC Santa Barbara 81 (2OT)

TV: Big West TV (Play-by-play: Gerry Fall)

 

After a heartbreaking end to the 2019-20 campaign and an offseason that at times had no end in sight, the wait is over and it's time to take the court once again for the UCSB women's basketball team. Factoring in players that have opted-out of the season, the Gauchos return nine players including Preseason All-Big West First Team selection Danae Miller, add two high-caliber freshman guards in Anya Choice and Alyssa Marin, and will welcome Houston transfer Doris Jones into the fold after redshirting last season. The shortened non-conference schedule gives way to nine back-to-back dates that will determine the participants in the 2021 Big West Tournament and, of those teams, the eventual Big West champion of a season that will in many ways be like no other.

 

Former UCSB star Cori Close has led the 11th-ranked Bruins to a 2-1 record in the early season thus far, picking up a decisive 98-49 win over Cal State Fullerton and a narrow 63-59 victory over Arizona State while dropping a close matchup against No. 6 Arizona, 68-65. UCLA is shooting 41.9% from the field while holding opponents to a 38.7% mark and outrebounding foes by nearly nine boards a game. The squad is led by Charisma Osborne's 20 points per game and Michaela Onyenwere's 10 rebounds per contest.

 

The Lancers head into Friday's contest with a perfect 5-0 record, including two wins against Big West opponents. CBU notched a 72-55 win against UC Irvine on Thanksgiving weekend in Irvine before beating UC Riverside 67-58 in the Crosstown Showdown at home. In between those games, CBU picked up a 75-71 victory over San Diego State. Britney Thomas averages 16 points and just under 10 rebounds, whereas Ane Olaeta has dished out 34 assists on the year for the Riverside-based outfit.

 

A challenging non-conference slate did well in preparing the Gauchos for Big West play, as they turned a 4-6 start into a 9-7 finish thanks to five wins in the final six games, including a sweep of CSUN and a Danae Miller buzzer-beater in the regular season finale at Hawai'i. Freshman Ila Lane, senior Coco Miller, and junior Danae Miller were the stars of the show in a season that would abruptly end without the Gauchos having played a game as the second seed in the Big West Tournament due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

 

If the Big West Coaches Poll released on Nov. 10 is anything to go by, UCSB will be a contender for the league crown in the 2020-21 season. The blue and gold was picked to finish third in the conference, finishing nine points back of second-placed UC Irvine and 22 behind four-time defending champions UC Davis. The Gauchos finished fourth in the media poll, behind Davis, Irvine, and Hawai'i. 

 

In terms of individual recognition, senior point guard Danae Miller added a selection to the Preseason Big West Women's Basketball All-Conference First Team to her ever-growing list of accolades, after earning selection to the All-Big West Honorable Mention list at the conclusion of the previous season and to the Second Team the year before that.

 

Each of the Gauchos' eight Big West Conference home games will be streamed on ESPN3, beginning with UCSB's back-to-back conference-opening series against UC Irvine on Dec. 27 and 28. In addition, UCSB's away matchups at UC San Diego and CSU Bakersfield will also be aired on ESPN3. As always, the TV schedule is subject to change and updates will be communicated on UCSBGauchos.com.

 

Freshman guards Alyssa Marin and Anya Choice are set to make their collegiate debuts this week as the Gauchos open their season. Marin holds the record for most three-pointers made in a single season at Camarillo High and was named Camarillo Girls Basketball Player of the Year, Ventura County Player of the Year, and Ventura County Star Player of the Year following the 2018-19 season. Hailing from Cardinal Newman HS in Santa Rosa, Calif., Choice was the 2019 North Bay League MVP and San Francisco Chronicle North Bay Player of the Year in 2018-19, and was the Chronicle's Girls Player of the Year in 2019-20.