SANTA BARBARA, Calif. – The UC Santa Barbara Women's Basketball team returns to The Thunderdome for a four-game homestand starting Sunday, Dec. 17. The Gauchos host Loyola Marymount on Dec. 17 and then have a quick turnaround as they host Life Pacific on Dec. 20. During both games the Gauchos will be hosting a Toy Drive. Fans who bring any unused or unopened toy will get a ticket voucher for a complimentary ticket to UC Santa Barbara's Big West opener against UC Davis on Thursday, Dec. 28.
LAST TIME OUT
Santa Barbara fell to Pacific on Friday, Dec. 8, 72-61.
Jessica Grant had a career night, scoring 17 points on 6-of-10 shooting from the floor.
Alexis Whitfield posted her fourth double-double of the season with a 20-point 10-rebound performance.
TAMING THE LIONS
Loyola Marymount will enter the contest with a 3-6 overall record having beaten Biola (Division II), Denver and The Master's University (NAIA). The Lions and Gauchos have played one common opponent in UNLV. Both schools feel to the Lady Rebels who rank top 25 in the NET Rankings.
Loyola Marymount relies heavily on its starters with the starting five combining for 64 percent of the Lions scoring output. LMU is led by forward Alexis Mark who leads the team with 11.7 points per game and is second on the team with 7.4 rebounds per contest. Amaya Oliver, another starting forward, sits in second in points per game, averaging 10.4 but grabbing the most rebounds on the team with 76 total, an average of 8.4 per game.
The Lions have currently lost nine straight games on the road, dating back to the 2022-23 season and currently post an 0-3 record away from home. The LMU forwards like to crash the glass hard with three players averaging 6.0 or more rebounds a game and as a team rank inside the top 40 in offensive rebounds per contest in Division I. Their rebounding margin also ranks inside the top 90.
WHACKING THE WARRIORS
Life Pacific currently posts an 8-2 overall record and will take part in the Hope International Tournament on Monday, Dec. 18 and Tuesday, Dec. 19 before making their trip to Santa Barbara to face the Gauchos.
The Warriors have three players that average over 29 minutes and make up the majority of their scoring. Freshman Kyori Lloyd leads the team in scoring, averaging 17.9 points per game while shooting it at over a .500 clip from the field. Lloyd nearly averages a double-double pulling in 9.8 rebounds per game as well. Life Pacific also has two guards who average in double figures while playing over 31 minutes a game in Faith Schwantner and Rachel Spinosa.
The Warriors are another team that likes to crash the glass and get rebounds, averaging over 40 per game as a team. They also average over 70 points a game while shooting it at a .393 clip from the floor and .308 from three-point land. They make just about eight threes per contest and attempt over 25 per game.
FOLLOW ALONG
Both games will be streamed through ESPN+ with Live stats also available. Tipoff on Sunday, Dec. 17 against Loyola Marymount will be at 4 p.m. while Wednesday's contest against Life Pacific will tipoff at 2 p.m.
Fans who attend the games are encouraged to bring an unused/unopened toy for the Gauchos Toy Drive. With the donation of a toy, fans will receive a ticket voucher to redeem a complimentary ticket in Santa Barbara's Big West opener against UC Davis on Dec. 28.
