SANTA BARBARA, Calif. - After defeating UC Irvine on Thursday night the UC Santa Barbara Women's Basketball team (14-11, 8-7 Big West) looked to carry that momentum into their game against the Highlanders. Unfortunately, the Gauchos suffered a 51-42 loss.

FROM HEAD COACH RENEE JIMENEZ
"Riverside was just a little tougher than we were tonight," said Jimenez. "Our defense was defiantly better than when we played them earlier in the season, but they made us uncomfortable and made us get out of rhythm. We struggled being out of system a little bit."

HOW IT HAPPENED
In the first quarter the Highlanders took an early lead after scoring the first four points. The Gauchos struggled with turnovers, committing six in the quarter, which the Highlanders capitalized on. UC Riverside extended their lead to 7-1 with a layup and a free throw at the six minute mark. Alyssa Marin narrowed the gap to 9-6 with a layup, but the Gauchos went to the second quarter down 10-6.

The second quarter was marked by tight competition with both teams scoring 13 points. Santa Barbara initially gained momentum with Alyssa Marin's 3-pointer at the start, assisted by Cayla Williams, giving them a brief lead. Riverside hit consecutive 3-pointers pushing the score to 19-11 in favor of the Highlanders. The Gauchos responded with a series of inside plays, including layups from Olivia Bradley and Cayla Williams, narrowing the gap to 20-19. Another 3-pointer extended UCR's lead to 23-19, which would hold until halftime.

In the third quarter, Riverside started strong with a jumper in the paint at the 10:00 mark, contributing to a 4-0 run. The Highlanders extended their lead through steady free throw shooting, pushing their advantage to 29-20. The quarter concluded with Santa Barbara's Alyssa Marin scoring a jumper and two free throws, narrowing the gap to 35-26. A layup by Anya Choice at the end of the third quarter cut the deficit to 35-28.

The fourth quarter saw the Highlanders edge out the Gauchos with a 16-14 scoring advantage. At the beginning of the quarter, Santa Barbara's Olivia Bradley made a jumper, bringing the score to 35-30. Zoe Borter of the Gauchos then hit a 3-pointer with assistance from Alyssa Marin, narrowing the gap to 39-38 at one point. However, Riverside capitalized on free throws, adding crucial points, pushing their lead to 45-42. In the final minutes Riverside added key layups and held on to defeat UC Santa Barbara 51-42.

UP NEXT
UC Santa Barbara will travel to Cal State Fullerton on Thursday, Feb. 20. The Gauchos and Titans will tip off at 7 p.m. For those unable to make the trip, the game will be streamed through ESPN+ with live stats available though ucsbgauchos.com