LONG BEACH, Calif. – The UC Santa Barbara Women's basketball team is gearing up for its first Big West showdowns of the 2025-26 season as they hit the road this week. The Gauchos will face Long Beach State on Thursday, Dec. 4th, before heading north to see Cal State Bakersfield on Saturday, Dec. 6th. The Gauchos are looking to continue their strong start to the season in conference play.
LAST TIME OUT
After an undefeated weekend at the CBU Classic in Riverside, the Gauchos enter the week with an impressive 6-1 overall record. They won the tournament championship after beating Cal Baptist 74-49 and securing a hard-fought win against Chattanooga 66-64.
Forward Zoe Borter led UC Santa Barbara, posting a stellar 34 points across the two games to lead the Gauchos in scoring, while Júlia Puente-Valverde was a standout on defense, rounding out the weekend with 14 rebounds.
SCOPING THE BEACH
LBSU currently sits at 0-6 and is still searching for its first win of the season, most recently dropping a 71-55 contest to Oregon State. Despite the team's winless record, the offense is led by standout sophomore guard JaQuoia Jones-Brown, who is averaging 18.3 points per game and proving to be a scoring threat.
In UC Santa Barbara in their two most recent match ups against Long Beach State in February of 2025, they came away with victories.
EYEING THE ROADRUNNERS
Cal State Bakersfield is led offensively by sophomore Chrishawn Coleman, who has already totaled 119 points on the season, establishing herself as a consistent scorer. Anchoring their defense is center Tena Ikidi, who is averaging 7.9 rebounds per game so far this year.
The Gauchos have claimed victory over CSUB in their nine most recent contests, having not lost to the roadrunners since the 2019 season.
CATCH THE ACTION
UC Santa Barbara versus Long Beach State is set to begin at 6 p.m., while UC Santa Barbara versus Cal State Bakersfield will begin at 2:00 p.m. Fans can watch live on ESPN+ or follow along with live stats available through the UCSB Athletics website.
