DAVIS, Calif. – The UC Santa Barbara women's basketball team got out to a slow start Thursday night at UC Davis and couldn't recover, falling on the road for the first time during conference play, 61-49.

The Gauchos (8-5, 2-2) couldn't find the mark on the offensive end, making three field goals in each of the first three quarters while Davis (7-6, 1-2) shot 50 percent (20-40 FG) through three.

Senior point guard Danae Miller scored a team-high 14 points on 5-of-13 from the field, but the team struggled with its shot overall, connecting on 27.8 percent of its attempts.

HOW IT HAPPENED

1st Half

• UCSB trailed by eight through one quarter and the Aggies opened the second with a three-pointer to take their first double-digit lead of the game, 22-11. The Gauchos cut into the lead with five straight, including a pull-up three by Miller with 8:09 left before halftime to make it a six point game.
• Over the next six minutes, the Gauchos made just one shot, while Davis pulled away with a 13-2 run that included three makes from beyond the arc. The Aggies went into the half up 38-22.

2nd Half

• UCD's lead grew to 22 by the end of the third quarter, which the home side won 16-10.
• The Gauchos started knocking down shots during the final 10 minutes, as sophomore guard Alyssa Marin hit a three and freshman point guard Callie Cooper went 2-for-2 from the outside. The Aggies were held to just seven fourth quarter points while UCSB put up 17.

NOTABLE

• It was just the second loss for the Gauchos since November, who now have a combined overall record of 6-2 in December and January.
• Less than a week after reaching the 400 assist milestone, Miller reached another one on Thursday – her only rebound on the night was also the 400th of her career.
• Miller is also approaching two other milestones. Her two three-pointers brought her to 132 for her career, just one shy of tying Sarah Porter for No. 8 all-time at UCSB. She also had one steal, bringing her total to 99.
• Junior center Ila Lane was held without a field goal for the first time in 41 career games. She did contribute on the glass, pulling in nine rebounds for the third straight game, and on the defensive end, where she tied a season-high with three blocks for the third time.
• Starting for the first time this season, junior guard Alexis Tucker was UCSB's second-leading scorer with nine points.

NEXT UP
UCSB is set to finish off its first full road week of conference play this Saturday in a 6:00 p.m. tipoff against UC Riverside.