Box Score SANTA BARBARA, Calif. – Senior point guard Danae Miller crossed the 1,000 career point mark and junior center Ila Lane scored at will as the UCSB women's basketball team took down Denver 89-80 Thursday night at the Thunderdome.
Miller became the 28th Gaucho to reach the milestone with a transition layup in the third quarter, finishing strong at the basket off a great pass from junior point guard Johnni Gonzalez. She finished with 14 points and five assists.
Every single time Lane tried to score, she did. The Moraga, Calif. native was an incredible 13-of-14 from the field for her career-high 27 points. The only time she missed, she pulled in one of her 10 rebounds, putting it right back up and in.
HOW IT HAPPENED
1st Half
- The Pioneers (2-5) jumped out to a 6-0 lead to start the game, before senior guard Megan Anderson scored eight straight to give UCSB (3-3) its first lead.
- Leading 31-30, the Gauchos began to pull away with an 11-2 run, including seven straight from Kennedy Johnson. The freshman guard stepped through for a sweet up-and-under before getting a steal and knocking down a corner three on back-to-back possessions to give UCSB a 42-32 advantage in the final minute of the opening half.
2nd Half
- Miller got on the board with a soft jumper in the paint to make it 48-35 at the 9:02 mark of the third. A few plays later, she gave UCSB a 17-point lead, 52-35, with her 999th and 1,000th points.
- Lane was fed early and often, needing few dribbles to score from a variety of angles on the inside. She made her first eight shots with a beautiful array of layups, putbacks, hook shots with either hand, and mid-range jumpers. Her and Miller combined for 18 of the Gauchos' 30 third quarter points as UCSB's lead went as high as 21 before coasting the rest of the way.
NOTABLE
- The Gauchos' third quarter explosion saw them score 30 points for the fifth time in the Bonnie Henrickson era (since 2015-16). They shot 12-of-16 (75%) from the field and 3-for-6 from three-point range.
- UCSB shot over 50 percent (58.2%) for the first time this year, also reaching season-highs with 21 assists, 17 free throws (17-20), and eight three-pointers (8-21).
- The Big West Conference's leading rebounder Lane enjoyed her team-leading third double-double of the season. She made the most shots (13-14 FG) of her career and recorded her highest field goal percentage (92.9%) outside of a 3-for-3 performance against San Jose State in her third career game.
- Anderson ended with 13 points (5-8 FG) and hit 3-of-6 threes. She is now shooting a team-best 46.8 percent on nearly four attempts per game from range.
- Junior guard Alexis Tucker rounded out UCSB's double-digit scorers, going for 11 points on an efficient 4-for-5 (80%) from the field.
QUOTABLE - Head Coach Bonnie Henrickson
- THE GAME – "A lot of good things to celebrate and go on, and obviously some things we've got to clean up. We tried to make them drivers, because then fatigue becomes a factor, and that was a little more indicative in the second half. When we find Ila inside, over the top, it opens up our threes, layups, all the different ways to score. Once she's established, we can play inside out. Kennedy was a big spark in the first half."
- ABOUT DANAE – "I've seen every last one of her 1,000 points. She's hung in there, been a warrior for us and continues to be in her fifth year. She's seen it all, the good, the bad and the ugly, and has been solid, a good leader, and consistent."
UP NEXT
- UCSB has 10 days off before playing the second of three straight home games against Bethesda on Dec. 12 at 4:00 p.m. at the Thunderdome.
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.
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