SANTA BARBARA, Calif. – The UC Santa Barbara Women's Basketball team is back in action this week, hosting games on Thursday, Jan. 1 and Saturday, Jan. 3. They are returning to conference play, with Cal State Fullerton and CSUN visiting for their first match ups of the season.

LAST TIME OUT
The Gauchos reached a 10-1 record with a home win over Eastern Washington on Dec. 18. They took down the Trailblazers 89-63 and are on a nine game win streak. 

The Gauchos currently lead the Big West, having gone 2-0 in their initial two conference games. 

UC Santa Barbara is currently fourth in the nation for three point percentage, coming in with a 39.10% hit rate. They're also fourth in three pointers per game at 10.9 and first in three point defense.

Jessica Grant and Zoe Borter both rank nationally in three point percentage, sitting at 10th (48.33%) and 19th (46.94). Borter leads the team offensively, averaging 15.8 points per game. Olivia Bradley leads in rebounds at 6.5 per game while Maddie Naro heads the assists at 41 overall. 

A LOOK AT THE TITANS
Cal State Fullerton is 6-6 on the season and 2-0 in conference after beating Cal Poly and Hawai'i. They place third in the Big West rankings. 

Forward Cristina Jones was awarded Big West Player of the Week on Dec. 29, earning the first Titan weekly award since 2023. She scored a career-high 25 points during Fullerton's 110-22 win over La Sierra. 

SCOUTING THE MATADORS
CSUN is sixth in the Big West, having gone 1-1 in conference and 5-6 overall. The Matadors fell to Pepperdine 69-63 on Dec. 20. 

They defeated Cal State Bakersfield but lost to UC Irvine, and will come to the Gauchos following a Jan. 1 showdown versus UC Davis. They are led by Rita Nazario's 13.9 points per game and Amya Moody's 27 total assists. 

FOLLOW ALONG
UC Santa Barbara versus Cal State Fullerton and CSUN will be available to stream on ESPN+ and live stats. Tickets are available at ucsbgauchos.com/tickets.