SANTA BARBARA, Calif - The UC Santa Barbara Women's Basketball team is set for a high competition two-game weekend. The Gauchos will hit the road to play a decisive game against Cal Poly on Thursday, Feb 29 before traveling back home to take on Cal State Fullerton. UC Santa Barbara and Cal Poly both stand at 10-6 in Big West action, tied in the standings. The Gauchos look to avenge their loss from earlier in the year against Cal State Fullerton.
LAST TIME OUT
The Gauchos fell to UC Irvine 54-46, their first Big West home loss of the season. In the game UC Santa Barbara was led by Flora Goed who scored a team-high 10 points.
BATTLING THE MUSTANGS
Rivals UC Santa Barbara and Cal Poly will meet for the 94th time on Thursday night. Cal Poly comes into the contest going 3-2 over their last five games and are fresh off an overtime loss to UC Riverside. The Mustangs are 14-11 overall and 10-6 in Big West action.
Cal Poly has two players scoring in double figures, Annika Shah and Natalie Ackerman, who average 12.6 and 12.3 respectively. Shah ranks third on the team in assists with 2.3 per contest. Ackerman leads her team with 8.4 rebounds and 1.9 blocks a game.
The Mustangs average 62.0 points per game. The Mustangs hold the highest field-goal percentage in conference shooting the ball at a .425 clip. Additionally, they sit only behind UC Santa Barbara in three point field goal percentage shooting just over 35 percent from deep.
TACKLING THE TITANS
The Gauchos and the Titans were last matched up on Jan. 20, in which Fullerton took the win 80-67. Cal State Fullerton is currently sits just in the last spot for The Big West Championships. They post a record of 9-17 overall and 5-11 in the conference. Fullerton has tallied two wins out of three previous games.
The Titans have three players scoring in double figures. Gabi Vidmar holds the top spot in scoring with 11.3 points and 2.1 steals per game. Hope Hasserman boasts a 10.8 points per game average and leads with a total of 76 assists.
Cal State Fullerton holds the top spot in the conference with a team free throws percentage of .765. The Titans average 58.9 points per game, making .392 field goals.
CHAMPIONSHIP IMPLICATIONS
Although the Gauchos have already clinched a spot for The Big West Championships, UC Santa Barbara is still fighting for a top-four spot in the league. A top-four spot would give them a single-round bye for the No. 3 and 4 seeds and a two-round bye if they finish as a No. 1 or 2 seed.
FOLLOW ALONG
The Gauchos and the Mustangs will tip off at 6 pm on Thursday, Feb. 29 in San Luis Obispo, Calif. For those unable to attend in person the game will be streamed through ESPN+ with live stats available.
UC Santa Barbara returns home on Saturday, March 2 as they host Cal State Fullerton for Senior Day. Following the game the Gauchos will honor their seniors on the court. For those unable to attend in person the game will be streamed through ESPN+ with live stats also available.
