Box Score SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (Feb. 18, 2023) — UC Santa Barbara women's basketball (17-8, 10-5 Big West) led by double digits for all but 6:54 of Saturday's game against UC Riverside (5-21, 3-13 Big West) and kept the Highlanders more than 10 points away for the entire second half en route to a 63-45 victory at the Thunderdome. Alexis Tucker led the Gauchos in scoring with 14, and Alexis Whitfield led the game with 13 rebounds, a new career high for the Washington transfer. With the win, UCSB completes the regular season sweep of UCR, records their 10th win in Big West play, and improves to 6-1 after a loss this season.
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Gauchos were hot from downtown early, hitting a trio of three-pointers and putting together two separate 7-0 scoring runs in the first quarter alone to build a 16-5 lead in the game's opening 10 minutes. UCSB's defense only allowed one field goal all quarter, holding the Highlanders to 7.1 percent shooting in the frame.
The scoring turned into a back-and-forth battle in the second quarter, with the Gauchos scoring 17 to UC Riverside's 15 for a 33-20 halftime lead. Out of halftime, it looked like both teams left their offense in the locker rooms, combining for only six points in the first five minutes of quarter three. But then Taylor Mole hit her second three of the game, and both offenses woke up. The teams traded 7-0 runs before the quarter ended with the home team leading, 47-29, heading into the final 10 minutes
UCSB's lead never dipped below 14 points in the fourth, despite the Highlanders scoring 16 points in the quarter. The Gauchos answered with 16 of their own in the game's final 10 minutes, leading by as many as 20. UCSB scored the game's final two baskets and held an 18-point edge when the final buzzer sounded.
BY THE NUMBERS
• Behind Tucker's 14 points, five Gauchos scored seven or more on Saturday; Alyssa Marin and Callie Cooper had nine, Whitfield added eight, and Mole and Ila Lane each scored seven
• Lane pulled down seven rebounds in the game, bringing her career total to 844, still the sixth most in program history. Ahead of her in fifth is Erin Buescher with 864
• UCSB's defense held UC Riverside to 22.8 percent shooting from the floor in the game; the Gauchos made exactly twice as many field goals as the Highlanders on one attempt fewer (26-56 versus 13-57)
• Saturday was UCSB's annual Pink Game for breast cancer awareness; the Gauchos have now played three of their last four Pink Games against UCR, winning all three by double digits
UP NEXT
The Gauchos will look to bring momentum with them on the road for their next two games, as they face a quick turnaround to play at Cal State Fullerton on Monday and a major test on Thursday at conference-leading Long Beach State. Both games are set to tip off at 7 p.m., and both will be live on ESPN+.
