HENDERSON, Nev. (March 11, 2023) – The UC Santa Barbara Women's Basketball team (21-12, 12-8 Big West) grinded their way through The Big West Championships, taking down UC Davis and Cal State Bakersfield along the way. Now, the Gauchos only had one more obstacle on their way to a Big West Championship: The University of Hawai'i Rainbow Wahine. Despite the result at the first half, the Gauchos weren't able to come out of this game with their ticket to the postseason as Hawai'i won 61-59. 

HOW IT HAPPENED
The first half showed an executed game plan by the Gauchos. Alexis Tucker played some of her best basketball of the season on her way to 15 points in the first two quarters alone. Along with that, the Gauchos grabbed 21 boards compared to Hawai'i, who had 11. This put UC Santa Barbara in a great spot by the end of the second quarter as they were up 44-33 a halftime. 

At the start of the third quarter, Hawai'i came out with a new urgency, scoring 13 points to the Gauchos' eight, putting them right back into this game. The Rainbow Wahine kept up their pace, scoring a game-high 25 points in the fourth quarter as the Gauchos worked to keep the lead they built. However, UC Santa Barbara was not able to keep up despite the last-second push, resulting in the 61-59 loss.

LOOKING AT THE NUMBERS

• Alexis Tucker led all players on the court today. She finished the night with 21 points, the most in the game, while also grabbing a team-high seven rebounds.
• Both Anya Choice and Ila Lane also had double-digit points, earning 13 and 12, respectively. Lane also had six rebounds while going six-of-nine from the field while Choice contributed two assists.

IN CONCLUSION…
The Gauchos finish the season with a 21-12 record, the first time the team has surpassed this marker since the 2008-09 season.