Box Score SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (Jan. 26, 2023) — With seven minutes left in the third quarter Thursday night, UC Santa Barbara women's basketball was down 20 points and heading for defeat against Hawai'i. Then the Gauchos went on a 30-6 run to turn the game on its head. UCSB out-scored the Rainbow Wahine, 44-29, in the second half to win an instant classic at the Thunderdome, 72-69.
Alexis Tucker led all scorers with 23 points and Ila Lane recorded her eighth double-double of the season (15 points, 10 rebounds), with Alyssa Marin and Alexis Whitfield both scoring 11 to join the double-digit scoring club for the Gauchos. Callie Cooper matched her career high with seven assists.
HOW IT HAPPENED
After falling in a hole early, the Gauchos (14-5, 7-2 Big West) put together a 7-0 scoring run midway through the first quarter to get within five. UCSB shot well in the first half, 44% from the field, but Hawai'i (7-11, 5-4 Big West) shot even better, and the Rainbow Wahine were especially willing to let fly from beyond the arc, hitting six three-pointers to the Gauchos' three. Alexis Tucker led all first-half scorers with 11, but the visitors led, 40-28 at halftime.
Needing points fast, the Gaucho offense caught fire in the third quarter, putting up 25 points in the frame and ending the quarter on a 12-0 run to cut the Hawai'i lead to four. Tucker capped that run with a four-point play, hitting a corner three and drawing a foul.
UCSB extended their scoring run in the fourth, starting the quarter on a 10-0 run to take a 63-57 lead. But the visitors battled back to tie the game before Ila Lane put back a layup off a rebound to give the Gauchos a two-point lead with 38 seconds to go. Lane grabbed another rebound after a defensive stop, then Tucker knocked down three free throws to ice the game.
BY THE NUMBERS
• Ila Lane, who leads The Big West in field goal percentage, had an impressively efficient night even by her own standards, shooting 7-9 from the floor on Thursday
• The Gauchos' 25-point third quarter is their highest output in a single period since scoring 32 in the second quarter against Cal Lutheran on December 21, 2022
• UCSB turned defense into offense frequently, scoring 25 points off of Hawai'i's 15 turnovers
UP NEXT
UC Santa Barbara will head up the coast to San Luis Obispo for their next game, the second round of this year's Blue-Green Rivalry against Cal Poly on Thursday, February 2. The Gauchos took round one at the Thunderdome, 65-59, on January 7, and lead the all-time series, 60-31. The game will be live on ESPN+ and live stats will be available on ucsbgauchos.com. Tip is set for 7 p.m.
