Box Score SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (Jan. 16, 2023) — Alexis Whitfield tallied a game-high 15 points and Ila Lane recorded another double-double, but UC Santa Barbara Women's Basketball fell to the UC Irvine Anteaters at the Thunderdome Monday night. The loss drops the Gauchos to a record of 11-5 (4-2 Big West), while UCI improves to 14-3 (6-0 Big West).
HOW IT HAPPENED
The visiting Anteaters flew out of the gates on offense and defense, building an 11-3 lead in the first five minutes of the game. While UCSB only trailed 15-12 by the end of the first quarter, UCI never relinquished the lead. Late in the half, the Gauchos' offense started to pick up, with Anya Choice and Alyssa Marin both hitting open threes thanks to some slick passing. Marin's three-ball gave her a team-high 8 points in the first 20 minutes.
Like they did against UC Riverside on Saturday, the Gaucho offense caught fire in the third quarter. Callie Cooper sparked an early 8-0 run right out of halftime with a pair of buckets and a steal before Alexis Whitfield and Jessica Grant kept things rolling. Whitfield scored 8 points in the quarter, and Grant added a pair of three-pointers. Santa Barbara totaled 22 points in the frame and cut the Anteater lead to only three, 47-44, by the end of the quarter.
In the fourth quarter, Irvine extended their lead to eight early, and then the Gauchos and Anteaters began trading baskets back-and-forth. While Santa Barbara's offense tallied 16 in the final frame, Irvine's offense tallied 23 of their own to deny UCSB's comeback attempt.
BY THE NUMBERS
- Senior Ila Lane recorded her sixth double-double of the season Monday, scoring 10 points and grabbing 12 rebounds.
- Sophomore Alexis Whitfield's 15 points not only matched her highest score as a Gaucho, they came from her most efficient shooting in a Santa Barbara uniform; the Washington transfer shot 75% from the floor Monday night.
- Junior Alyssa Marin joined Lane and Whitfield in the double-digit club, scoring 10 points, eight of which came in the first half.
- Monday night was UCSB's fourth straight game scoring 60 or more points. The Gauchos are now 12-3 when scoring 60 or more points this season.
UP NEXT
UC Santa Barbara hits the road for a pair of games next, paying the CSUN Matadors a visit on Thursday, January 19 before heading to Bakersfield for the season's second meeting with the CSU Bakersfield Roadrunners on Saturday, January 21. Thursday's game tips at 7 p.m., while Saturday's will begin at 2 p.m. Both games will be live on ESPN+ and will have live stats available on ucsbgauchos.com.
