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SANTA BARBARA, Calif. – The UC Santa Barbara women's basketball team held UC Riverside to 15 first-half points en route to its third-straight victory in a 65-47 triumph on Saturday afternoon at the Thunderdome.
"[We had] good rhythm, good decisions offensively, [and] I thought we made them uncomfortable offensively. I thought Coco [Miller] was unbelievable with [UC Riverside's leading scorer Jannon] Otto, she stayed with her like Velcro and she couldn't get loose," said UCSB head coach Bonnie Henrickson, "[and] we got a lot of people involved- it's harder to guard, it increases your chance of success, and it's fun to watch and be a part of. All of which are positives."
Freshman center Ila Lane led all scorers with 17 points as she recorded her 17th double-double of the year by adding 12 rebounds to her tally.
Redshirt senior guards Tal Sahar and Coco Miller scored 16 and 13 points, respectively, while the latter of the two tacked on four assists and five steals.
As a team, the Gauchos shot 43% from the field as they went 25-of-58, recorded 18 assists on those makes.
UCSB held a ten-point lead at the end of the first quarter thanks to the aforementioned trio combining for all but four points, giving the Gauchos the early 18-8 advantage.
Lane kept it up in the second, exploding for 11 points to help the Gauchos outscore the visitors 22-7 to extend the lead to 40-15 at the half.
Though the Gaucho offense slowed down in the third quarter, the defense was still keeping Riverside quiet, holding the Highlanders to 11 points as the Gauchos scored 14 to lead 54-26 heading into the final period.
UCSB cruised through the fourth quarter with its hefty lead, wrapping up its third consecutive win and seventh in the conference season, moving UCSB into sole possession of third place in the Big West.
The Gauchos prepare for a midweek tilt at Central Coast rivals Cal Poly on Wednesday night. Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. The game will be streamed live on BigWest.TV, while a live audio broadcast will be available on UCSBGauchos.com. Live stats will also be available on the women's basketball schedule/results page.
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