SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (Feb. 10, 2023) — UC Santa Barbara women's basketball will be looking for a change of fortunes as they travel north to take on UC Davis on Saturday. Not only are the Gauchos looking to get back in the win column, they will look to earn their first road win over the Aggies since 2015.
DETAILS
Game 23
Saturday, February 11 | 2 p.m.
UC Santa Barbara (15-7, 8-4 Big West) at UC Davis (11-11, 7-5 Big West)
University Credit Union Center | Davis, Calif.
ESPN+ | Live Stats
LAST TIME OUT
The Gauchos narrowly missed out on an upset of the conference leaders, Long Beach State, at the Thunderdome in their last game, 57-58. Ila Lane recorded her ninth double-double of the season to lead UCSB in both points (19) and rebounds (14) on the night. For a complete recap, click here.
AN EYE ON THE RECORD BOOKS
Not many Gauchos have more career rebounds than Ila Lane. In fact, only six players in UCSB women's basketball history have pulled down more than the center from Moraga. Coming into Saturday afternoon's game against the Aggies, Lane has 827 rebounds as a Gaucho and is averaging 9.0 per game this season. Ahead of her on the all-time list are Brandy Richardson (836), Erin Buescher (864), and Sweets Underwood (869).
On the sideline, head coach Bonnie Henrickson is one win away from her 100th at UC Santa Barbara. With the Gauchos' next victory, Henrickson will become only the third head coach in program history to lead UCSB to triple-digit wins, joining Bobbi Bonace and Mark French.
HISTORY
Davis's University Credit Union Center may only be a 7600-seat arena, but the Aggies have defended it like a fortress, especially against the Gauchos. UCSB's last win in Davis came seven seasons ago, on February 28, 2015, and the Gauchos have an 18-26 overall record against the Aggies. Despite that history, UCSB enters Saturday's game owning the most recent win in this series, a 65-62 Senior Night victory on February 26 last year.
GAUCHOS AMONG THE BIG WEST'S BEST
UC Santa Barbara runs one of the best offenses in The Big West, leading the conference in scoring (67.5 points per game), field goal percentage (.439) and assists (14.7 per game). Alexis Tucker leads the Gauchos in scoring (13.4 points per game). Ila Lane is not far behind (13.1 ppg) thanks in large part to shooting .559 from the floor, which is the best field goal percentage in The Big West.
Lane also leads the conference in rebounding (9 per game) and double-doubles (9). Her control of the glass helps the Gauchos average 36.77 boards a game and a +3.45 rebounding margin, both top-three numbers in the conference.
A trio of guards — Alyssa Marin, Anya Choice, and Callie Cooper — handle playmaking duties for the Gauchos, with all three ranking among The Big West's best assisters. Marin (1.52) and Cooper (1.38) are second and fourth in assist/turnover ratio.
SCOUTING THE AGGIES
At 7-5 in conference and 11-11 overall, the Aggies have had an up-and-down season. In conference play alone, they have scored 80 points in a game and been held under 40 in another. They enter Saturday's game on the up, coming off a 73-64 win over UC Riverside.
It should come as no surprise that Evanne Turner led the Aggies in scoring in their last game; the junior guard is The Big West's leading scorer, averaging 16 points per game on 41.3% shooting this season. Turner leads an Aggie offense which ranks third in the conference for both scoring (63.2 points per game) and field goal percentage (.408).
Saturday's game could be won or lost on the glass. The only thing Davis does better than score is rebound, leading The Big West with an average of 37.4 rebounds per game this season, but the Aggies are also allowing 35.1 rebounds a game, more than most teams in the conference. UCD's Tess Sussman and UCSB's Ila Lane are the likely protagonists for Saturday's rebounding battle. Sussman leads her team on the glass with 5.82 rebounds a game, while Lane leads the conference with 9.0.
The Aggies are coached by Davis women's basketball alumn and five-time Big West Coach of the Year Jennifer Gross. Now in her 12th season coaching her alma mater, Gross has a career record of 212-137 and the best active winning percentage in The Big West.
UP NEXT
UCSB will hit the road again for their next game on Wednesday, February 15, heading south for a rematch with UC Irvine. The Gauchos will look to pay the Anteaters back for a 70-60 loss in the Thunderdome back in January. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. Wednesday night. The game will be live on ESPN+, with live stats available through ucsbgauchos.com
TUCKER AND LANE JOIN 1000-POINT CLUB
On January 26 against Hawai'i, Alexis Tucker and Ila Lane each scored the 1000th point of their careers, making them the 29th and 30th women to reach the milestone in a Gaucho uniform. Tucker led all scorers with 23 against the Rainbow Wahine to join the 1000-point club. Having begun her career playing in the post for Texas Tech, Tucker has grown into an excellent scoring guard since transferring to UCSB. Lane reached the 1000-point mark with 15 points against Hawai'i and added 10 rebounds for her eighth double-double of the season. The center reached the mark in only three seasons, having opted out of the 2020-21 campaign. To read more, click here.
TUCKER EARNS BIG WEST PLAYER OF THE WEEK (NOV. 28)
Senior Alexis Tucker received Big West Player of the Week honors following her career-high 29 points in UC Santa Barbara's triple-overtime win over Southern Utah. Tucker's scoring helped the Gauchos to their first 100-point performance against Division I opposition in over two decades. The award is Tucker's first Big West Player of the Week honor.
LANE NAMED BIG WEST PLAYER OF THE WEEK (NOV. 14)
Senior Ila Lane earned Big West Player of the Week honors after a pair of impressive performances to open the season. The Moraga native averaged 16.5 points on 71.4% shooting, plus 8.5 rebounds across the first two games of the season, wins over Santa Clara and Pepperdine. This is Lane's sixth Big West Player of the Week honor, an award she has received more frequently than all but two Gauchos.
GAUCHOS HAVE BEST START SINCE '03
By winning five of their first six games, UC Santa Barbara got off to their best start to a season since the 2002-03 season, which also began with a 5-1 record. The only season the Gauchos started with a better record was the 1987-88 campaign, when Mark French's UCSB squad won their first eight games.
LANE NAMED TO LISA LESLIE AWARD WATCH LIST
Senior IIa Lane has been named to the 2023 Lisa Leslie Award Watch List by the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. This award is given annually the top center in women's college basketball. The 2022-23 season is Lane's third consecutive year on the 20-player list.
LANE NAMED TO BIG WEST PRESEASON TEAM, GAUCHOS PICKED 2ND IN POLL
The Big West announced its Women's Basketball Preseason Coaches' Poll and Team on Oct. 20, 2022. UC Santa Barbara was picked to finish second, the program's highest ranking in the Bonnie Henrickson era, and senior Ila Lane was named to the Preseason Team.
