RIVERSIDE, Calif. – The UC Santa Barbara Women's Basketball team defeated Chattanooga 66-64 in the championship round of the Cal Baptist University Classic, a destination they reached after a win over CBU on Friday. The Gauchos defeated the Mocs in the teams' first-ever match-up to win the tournament, go 2-0 on the weekend and extend their win streak to five.
FROM HEAD COACH RENEE JIMENEZ
"I'm really proud of our team's effort over the last two days against two very good opponents," Jimenez said. "We found ways to win both games in completely different situations, and tonight we really had to dig deep and show our toughness. We'll keep battling and getting better every day. Our identity is starting to take shape, and our culture and selflessness are what won us this game."
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Gauchos exited three of the four quarters ahead, first finishing period one 20-16. They kicked off the scoring with a layup by Zoe Borter, which secured the first two points of her eventual 15. The teams traded buckets, but Santa Barbara made a couple more to edge out the quarter win.
Santa Barbara reached halftime 35-30, maintaining control of the game. They saw their highest advantage at 35-25 after Maddie Naro nailed a distant three-pointer. Several points from Chattanooga followed, but the Gauchos held on through the half.
Chattanooga made a run in the third quarter to seize its first lead of the game. They made two three-point jumpers right off the bat to put the score at 36-35. The Gauchos regained the lead after Naro landed another three-pointer, but the teams went on to trade the advantage for the remainder of the period. It was a last-minute three-pointer by Chattanooga that acted as the final bucket for the third and and made it 47-46 Mocs.
The fourth was tight, with Chattanooga trailing the Gauchos by just a couple of possessions for the majority of the period. With two seconds left, the Mocs tied it up 64-64. A timeout gave the Gauchos the ball on their half, and they had just moments to make their move. Naro stood with the ball, ready on the sideline, searching for her play. Finally, Olivia Bradley broke away from her defender and made a beeline for the basket. Chattanooga was too late to catch on. Bradley caught Naro's long ball and, as the buzzer sounded, turned it into the final basket of the game.
The Gauchos walked away from the game ahead by two and 6-1 for the season. Both Naro and Borter were named to the All-Tournament Team.
Borter made 15 points against the Mocs and totaled 44 for the weekend after sinking 19 in the Gauchos' win over CBU. She shot six free throws to tie her career-high in the category.
Naro sank four of six three point attempts and nabbed four rebounds. Her 14 points stand as one of her best offensive performances this season.
Olivia Bradley led the team in points, logging 17 to score in double digits for the sixth time this season. She went seven for 11 to shoot 64% from the field.
Skylar Burke led in rebounds, collecting a season high of seven versus the Mocs. She also shot 100% in free throws, swishing four.
UP NEXT
The Gauchos begin conference play against Long Beach State on Dec. 4 at 6:00 p.m. They will visit the Beach before heading to Cal State Bakersfield on Dec. 6 at 2:00 p.m.
