LOS ANGELES, Calif. – UC Santa Barbara Women's Basketball made their way to No. 3 UCLA's Pauley Pavilion today to take on the Bruins for their second game of the season. The Gauchos fell 87-50 to the 2024-25 NCAA Final Four participants and will look to redeem the loss on Sunday versus their next opponent, Seattle University.
FROM HEAD COACH RENEE JIMENEZ
"I couldn't be prouder of our team tonight," Jimenez said. "We went up against the #3 team in the country and showed incredible heart, effort, and togetherness from start to finish. The result may not have gone our way, but our fight and competitiveness showed me a lot about our team."
HOW IT HAPPENED
UCLA claimed the first several points of the game, running an 8-0 lead before Jessica Grant got the first Gaucho points on the board with a three-point swish. She leads the Big West in total three-point goals with six made so far.
The Gauchos held on for the first quarter, only trailing by four points at the period's final buzzer. UCLA led 21-17 headed into the second.
UCLA took off with vigor during the next period, earning 30 more points to snuff out the Gauchos' efforts.
The Gauchos swelled in the third period, once again scoring 17 points for the quarter and staying within a two-bucket margin of the Bruins.
In the end, the Gauchos were unable to climb the Bruins' score and UCLA took the victory.
Olivia Bradley led the Gauchos in points for the second game in a row, sinking 11 to bring her season total to 30. She hit 62.5% to lead the Gauchos in shooting percentage. Júlia Puente-Valverde followed in the point tally with 10, and both players made three defensive rebounds.
Chauncey Andersen and Puente-Valverde both had a team-high four total rebounds. Andersen went three for five to shoot 60%.
Puente-Valverde and Zoe Borter both went 2-2 on free throws, while Maddie Naro had a dynamic game. She led the team in assists, steals and blocks with three, two and one.
UP NEXT
The Gauchos will visit Seattle University for the final game of their opening week, taking them on on Sunday, Nov. 9 at 12:00 p.m. They will return home to play Grand Canyon University on Saturday, Nov. 15 at 2:00 p.m.
