SAN DIEGO - The UC Santa Barbara Women's Basketball team hits the road this Thanksgiving weekend as they will compete in The Dana on Mission Bay Thanksgiving Classic, hosted by the University of San Diego. The Gauchos will open the classic with UNLV followed by a game against either San Diego or Weber State the following day.
LAST TIME OUT
The Gauchos come into the contest after a 71-61 victory over Southern Utah on Sunday, Nov. 19. The bounce-back win comes after falling to Idaho State just four days prior. All three seniors, Anya Choice, Alyssa Marin and Alexis Whitfield scored in double figures in the contest.
ROUTING THE REBELS
UNLV comes into the weekend a perfect 4-0 with wins over Loyola Marymount, College of Charleston, Utah Tech and New Hampshire. The Lady Rebels are averaging 87.5 points per game with a scoring margin of +32.7
Individually, Desi-Rae Young leads UNLV in both points per game (19.3) and rebounds per game (11.0). Young was named to the 20-member Lisa Leslie Award Watch List back in October. The award, now in its seventh year, recognizes the top centers in women's NCAA Division I college basketball. Young also posts a .580 field goal percentage and a .792 free throw percentage.
To complete Young, junior guards Kiara Jackson and Alyssa Durazo-Frescas both post a double-digit scoring average. Jackson averages 13.0 points per game while Durazo-Frescas averages 12.3. The duo has combined to shoot it at a .449 clip from beyond the arc through UNLV's first four games.
THUMPING THE TOREROS
The Toreros enter the weekend 2-2 overall. After opening up with two wins over Chapman and Portland State, San Diego has gone on a two-game skid, falling to Arizona and Princeton.
USD is led by redshirt senior, Kasey Neubert. Neubert is averaging 12.5 points per game and 9.3 rebounds both marks lead the team. She is shooting just under 53 percent from the field and is 2-of-3 from beyond the arc. Sitting just behind her is Veronica Sheffey who is averaging just under 10 points per game.
As a team the Toreros don't shoot the ball exceptionally well from three-point land, posting a .308 shooting percentage from deep. On the other hand, they don't allow teams to shoot the three well as they have held opponents to just 2.3 made three-point field goals per game with a .148 percentage from deep. Turnovers have also proved costly as San Diego is averaging over 20 turnovers per game.
WALLOPING THE WILDCATS
Weber State comes into the weekend winless through their first four games. The Wildcats have fallen to Utah Valley, BYU, Boise State and Utah State. Over their first four games, they are averaging 53.3 points per game with a -17.0 scoring margin.
Kendra Parra and Jadyn Matthews lead the Wildcats on offense averaging 11.5 and 9.3 respectively. Matthews also ranks second on the team in rebounding averaging 4.5 per game. The duo also average the most minutes per game.
The Wildcats collectively shoot the ball at a .358 clip from the field and under 30 percent from three. They have also been plagued by turnovers averaging 20.8 turnovers per game and posting a -3.0 turnover margin through their first four games. Additionally, the Wildcats have yet to play their first home contest. After this weekend all six of their games will have been away from Ogden, Utah.
FOLLOW ALONG
The Gauchos will open up the tournament on Friday, Nov. 24 as they take on UNLV at 4 p.m. in San Diego, Calif. at Jenny Craig Pavilion located on the campus of the University of San Diego. All games will be broadcast through ESPN+ with live stats available as well. The Gauchos will conclude the tournament on Saturday, Nov. 25 with a game at either 2 p.m. or 4 p.m. against Weber State or San Diego.
