SANTA BARBARA, Calif. – The UC Santa Barbara Women's Basketball team bested Eastern Washington 89-61 tonight during their final game of the calendar year. The win avenges the Gauchos' 2024 loss to the Eagles and keeps the Gauchos undefeated at home for 2025.

FROM HEAD COACH RENEE JIMENEZ
"I've been trying to tell these guys all week, this was their last final. And I thought they aced it tonight, so I'm really, really happy with them and really proud of them." Jimenez said. "And it was all the things we've been talking about these last eight or nine weeks, that we've challenged them on, that they blew out of the water."

HOW IT HAPPENED
Eastern Washington made the first points of the game after 90 seconds of fruitless basket attempts by both teams. After a couple more empty transactions from both sides, Olivia Bradley got the Gauchos on the board with a head-on three pointer from the apex of the arc. 

The Eagles pulled no punches in the first, scoring several buckets in a row with no response from Santa Barbara. The Gauchos fell victim to their longest trail in six games. They placed a couple points to get back in it, but finished out the first period behind by two 24-22. 

The Gauchos exploded in the second, piling thirty points and ending the half ahead by 21. After establishing a tie at 30-30, Santa Barbara went on a seventeen-points scoring run. The revitalized Gaucho defense held the Eagles to just nine points. Zoe Borter scored 19 points in the half and went five for six in field goals. 

The teams performed equally in the third, with each one only making six points through the first five minutes. By the time the quarter was over, both had scored 18 points, and Olivia Bradley was responsible for 11 of the Gauchos'. 

Santa Barbara kept up the pace in the final period, locking in 19 points and wrapping the game 89-63. Skylar Burke made 10 points in the fourth and put on her best half of the season. 

Borter piloted the Gaucho offense, racking up 24 points and shooting 64%. She also made a career-high nine field goals. 

Bradley had a brilliant game, forging a double-double from 20 points and 13 rebounds. Both tallies stand as career-highs for the forward. She also made a career-high three three-pointers. 

Skylar Burke logged her first double-double of the season, grabbing ten rebounds and scoring 14 points. Burke also led the team in assists with five. 

The Gauchos had 50 rebounds, the most rebounds they have had this season by nine. 

NEXT UP 
Santa Barbara will host a pair of games on Jan. 1 and Jan. 3, taking on Cal State Fullerton and CSUN. Both contests will begin at 2:00 p.m.