MORAGA, Calif. – In its first of two games at the Saint Mary's Thanksgiving Classic, the UC Santa Barbara women's basketball team fell to California Baptist on Friday by a final score of 68-56.

The Gauchos are now 2-2 on the year, while CBU improves to 3-1.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• There were 10 ties and six lead changes in a back-and-forth first 13 minutes of the game. Junior point guard Johnni Gonzalez opened and ended the first quarter with two of her four three-pointers, sending it into the second all knotted at 15-15.
• An 8-0 Lancer spurt would give them their first double-digit lead, 30-20, with 5:44 to go in the second. UCSB trailed by as many as 11 points in the opening half, before junior center Ila Lane led a 9-2 Gaucho run to cut the deficit to 38-34 heading into halftime. 
• Santa Barbara still trailed by 10 early in the fourth quarter. Although she struggled with her shot for most of the day, point guard Danae Miller put in a slick reverse layup in transition and got a jumper to bounce in on the next possession to bring UCSB back within striking distance down 56-52 with 6:53 remaining.
• From there, the Gauchos went cold, making just 1-of-15 field goal attempts over the final six minutes as CBU ended the game on a 12-4 run.

NOTABLE

• Lane recorded her second consecutive double-double, leading the Gauchos with 15 points and 10 rebounds on 6-of-13 (46.2%) from the field.
• Miller returned to the lineup following a one-game absence and had a strong day distributing the ball and hitting the glass, achieving season-bests in rebounds (8) and assists (5). However, her back-to-back fourth quarter buckets were her only points of the day.
• Accounting for two-thirds of the Gauchos' three-point makes was Gonzalez, who knocked down 4-of-9 (44.4%) from range for a season-high 12 points.
• Junior guard Alexis Tucker was a perfect 6-for-6 from the free throw line for 12 points. She is the only Gaucho to reach double-figures three times so far this season.
• UCSB kept CBU off the line, as the Lancers went just 5-of-9 (55.6%) on free throws. The Gauchos were an efficient 14-for-17 (82.4%) from the charity stripe.
• The Gauchos shot a season-low 27.7 percent as a team, but outrebounded their opponent for the first time this season, taking a slight 42-41 edge on the glass.
• On a day where both teams shot under 27 percent from three, CBU took a huge advantage in points in the paint (48-22).

UP NEXT

• Tomorrow, the Gauchos will take on tournament host Saint Mary's at 2:00 p.m.

Install the new UCSB Gaucho Gameday app on your smartphone for exclusive UCSB coverage all season long. Now available on the Google Play Store and Apple App Store.

UCSB is moving to mobile ticketing beginning this season. For more information, click here.