The Thunderdome - Santa Barbara, Calif.

All-Time Record vs. the Aggies: 17-23

Last Meeting: February 1, 2020: at UC Davis 66, UCSB 63

TV: ESPN3 Friday | ESPN3 Saturday

 

• The Gaucho Review: Week Five

G9: UC San Diego 73, UCSB 71: A late rally helped UC San Diego defeat UCSB in the first-ever Big West meeting between the two. Junior forward Taylor Mole scored 22 points on 8-of-10 shooting and was a perfect 6-of-6 from the line, while freshman guard Anya Choice added 18, but UCSB couldn't hold on to its fourth quarter lead as the Tritons earned their second Division-I win in program history in what was just their third game of the 2020-21 season.

 

• Scouting the Opposition: UC Davis

Unable to play or practice for much of the season due to Yolo County's COVID-19 restrictions, the Aggies returned from a 58-day hiatus with a pair of home victories against UC San Diego last weekend. UC Davis took down the Tritons 80-62 in its first game back, setting a new school record in the process with 17 three-pointers. Kayla Konrad had four of those as she led the way with 20 points. In the second game of the weekend, the Aggies earned their head coach Jennifer Gross her 100th Big West victory with a 58-46 win. Konrad shared the team lead in scoring with Sage Stobbart, who also added 10 rebounds to complete her first double-double of the season.

 

• Gauchos in the National Ranks

The Gauchos rank in several statistical categories nationwide, both individually and as a team. Danae Miller's 2.67 assist-to-turnover ratio is not only tops in the Big West Conference, it's also 33rd among all NCAA Division-I athletes. As a team, UCSB is second in the Big West and 16th in the country in three-point field goals per game (9.3) and 27th in three-point percentage (37%)..

 

• It's Doris Time

On Jan. 4, Doris Jones earned her first career Big West Player of the Week Award and the first for the Gauchos in the 2020-21 season. The Houston transfer scored 29 points on 11-of-19 shooting from the field and added six rebounds, three blocks, and two steals in UCSB's 83-54 win over Cal State Fullerton on New Year's Day. The following night, the Oakland native put up 17 points with six rebounds, three assists, and a block as the Gauchos defeated Fullerton 79-60 to improve to 2-2 in conference play. In total, Jones committed just four turnovers in 59 minutes of court time, while shooting 54.5% (18-of-33) from the floor and 45.5% (5-of-11) from beyond the arc.

 

• Small-ball? No problem!

In 6-4 redshirt senior center Natalia Bruening's absence since Dec. 18, the Gauchos have transitioned to a small-ball scheme as their lineups have featured just one player over six feet in height, junior transfer Taylor Mole, in four of the six games played since then. There's no better example of the team having fully embraced the philosophy than its last two games at Cal State Fullerton over New Year's weekend, as UCSB had 38 assists on 57 makes over the course of the series. The Gauchos also converted on 27 triples, including 14 in the second game of the series, just one short of the single-game record set at UC Irvine on Jan. 28, 2017.

 

• Respected Among Our Peers

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.

 

• ESPN3 Has Arrived at the Thunderdome

This season, UCSB Athletics and Fall Productions are working together to begin a new chapter in delivering high-quality broadcasts to fans. 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. UCSB's away matchups at UC San Diego and CSU Bakersfield will also be aired on ESPN3. The TV schedule is subject to change and updates will be communicated on UCSBGauchos.com.

 

• Transfer Time

On Dec. 16, the NCAA Division I Council granted a blanket waiver allowing all tranfer student-athletes to compete immediately. The decision will allow San Jose State transfer Megan Anderson and Colorado State transfer Taylor Mole to suit up for the Gauchos this season, pending the conclusion of fall quarter. Anderson, a Fresno native, started in every game over the past two seasons for the Spartans, averaging 8.8 points, 3.3 rebounds, 1.0 assists, and 0.8 steals in a team-leading 31.7 minutes per game in her most recent campaign. Mole averaged 1.6 points and 1.1 rebounds per game in her two seasons with the Rams. Mole set career-highs in points (12), shooting (4-4 3PT, 4-8 FG), blocks (2), and minutes (28) over the course of the 2019-20 season.