LA JOLLA, Calif. — The UC Santa Barbara Women's Basketball team (5-3) begins Big West play this week, taking on UC San Diego (1-7) on the road Thursday night before hosting UC Davis (3-4) in the Thunderdome Saturday afternoon. Gaucho Head Coach Renee Jimenez gets her first taste of Big West action earlier than usual thanks to the conference's new Bold Week initiative, which mirrors the likes of the Big Ten Conference in playing conference games in early December.
 
LAST TIME OUT
The Gauchos split their two games in Phoenix over the Thanksgiving weekend, falling to Grand Canyon on Friday but bouncing back with a comeback victory over Seattle University, 72-62, on Saturday. Zoe Borter lit up the Redhawks for a career-high 22 points, shooting 4-of-7 from beyond the arc on Saturday. Alyssa Marin was Santa Barbara's leading scorer against GCU on Friday with 15 points and added 12 more against Seattle U to make it seven straight double-digit outings.
 
SCOUTING THE TRITONS
UC San Diego comes into the week after falling at Stanford on Friday, extending their losing streak to seven consecutive games. If Triton fans are looking for a silver lining though, they can point to the fact that three of those defeats took overtime to decide, including a double-overtime contest against Saint Mary's on Nov. 14. They also played extra periods at Air Force on Nov. 22 and at Fresno State on Nov. 24. Thursday will be UC San Diego's first game back on their home court since Nov. 17.
 
Despite the defeat at Stanford last weekend, Triton sophomore guard Sumayah Sugapong was named Big West Player of the Week after her 21-point, seven-steal game against the Cardinal. Those seven swipes set UC San Diego's Division I record and vaulted Sugapong into fourth place in The Big West, with 17 steals on the season. And stealing is something the Tritons do well, with three players among the conference's top five thieves. Sabrina Ma, the team's leading three-point shooter, is also the team's leading swiper with 20 on the year. Kayanna Spriggs, the team's leading scorer (11.9 points per game), has 18 steals. Sugapong is right behind Spriggs, averaging 11.5 points a game, while also leading the squad with 23 assists on the year.
 
However, the Tritons' sticky fingers can get them in trouble, as they foul more than any team in The Big West, averaging 21 fouls a game, the 30^th-highest average in all of Division I. Fouling at that rate is especially dangerous against a team like the Gauchos, who are the fourth-best free throw shooting team in the country, making 82.6% of their shots from the line this year. Alyssa Marin is a frequent visitor to the charity stripe, attempting the eighth-most free throws in the country so far this year and making the seventh most.
 
SCOUTING THE AGGIES
UC Davis (3-4) comes into the week after having a two-game winning streak snapped on the road at Portland State, where they lost, 66-61. The Aggies will look to bounce back at Cal Poly on Thursday night before they visit the Gauchos.
 
Through the first month of the season, UC Davis has had the most efficient offense in The Big West. The Aggies come into the week averaging 70.9 points per game, shooting 41.8% from the field as a unit. A good number of those shots have come from three-point land, as the Aggies lead the conference in three-point attempts per game (26.1) and rank second in three-point percentage, making a third of their shots from beyond the arc. They have also held opponents to just 25.9% shooting from deep this season.
 
Both offensively and defensively, UC Davis is led by the dynamic duo of senior guard Tova Sabel and redshirt junior center Megan Norris. Sabel has been one of the top three-point shooters in The Big West, while Norris has been the conference's most accurate player from the field so far. Both rank among the conference's top five scorers, with Sabel averaging 15.4 points per game and Norris 14.3 on 54.4% shooting. Sabel also leads the conference in three-point attempts and three-pointers made, knocking down an average of three a game. On the season so far, the Preseason All-Big West honoree is shooting 37.5% from beyond the arc, good for fifth in the conference. Sabel and Norris also partner well at the defensive end of the floor, ranking third and fourth in The Big West in blocks, with 12 and 11 respectively.
 
FOLLOW ALONG
The Gauchos and Tritons will tip off at 7 p.m. from LionTree Arena in La Jolla on Thursday night. When Santa Barbara hosts UC Davis on Saturday, they will tip off at 4 p.m. in the Thunderdome. Tickets for Saturday afternoon's contest are available at ucsbgauchos.com/tickets, and fans can watch all the action from both games this week live on ESPN+. Live stats and play-by-play are available on ucsbgauchos.com.