SANTA BARBARA, Calif. – UC Santa Barbara Women's Basketball defeated Cal Poly for the second time this season Saturday afternoon, overpowering the Mustangs 63-54. With the victory, the Gauchos secured their spot in the upcoming Big West Championships.  

Though Santa Barbara was victorious, Cal Poly nearly toppled their hosts in the final stages of the game. The Gauchos held on through an elevated defense and success from the free throw line, but are looking for ways to forge cleaner victories. 

FROM HEAD COACH RENEE JIMENEZ
"We had a lot of success really early on in the season. And it masked some of the issues and weaknesses and things like that," Jimenez said. "There's little things individually that we need some of these guys to bring to the table that would make it a lot easier for us. We're just trying to find ways to build a confidence back up and make them believe again." 

Zoe Shaw opened the scoring with a three and an assist from Zoe Borter. Cal Poly then put down six points, but the Gauchos responded with 11 straight and three threes to put them ahead 14-6. The Mustangs made up some ground, but the Gauchos clinched the quarter 15-10. 

The Gauchos put 21 points on the board in the second period, outperforming the Mustangs by nine. Santa Barbara put forth a balanced offense, with Zoe Borter, Maddie Naro, and Júlia Puente-Valverde each making five or more points. The defense did not permit a three-pointer from Cal Poly and never more than four opposing points in a row. The Gauchos finished the half 14 points ahead at 36-22. 

Puente-Valverde began the second half with a layup, bringing the Gauchos to 38 points and 16 points up. Cal Poly responded with an offensive surge, as guard Charish Thompson halved the difference with four consecutive jumpers. Santa Barbara held on, putting seven more points through and ending the half still ahead by nine at 45-36.

The Mustangs came within three points of the Gauchos during the final quarter, reaching 52-49 after scoring 13 points opposed to Santa Barbara's seven. But, with 1:30 left and a lead of just four, Santa Barbara sank five free throws to seal the game as theirs at 60-51. Cal Poly nabbed three more points, but the Gauchos garnished with three more frees and finished the contest 63-54.

Zoe Borter reached 18 points and went 5-11 from the field. She also shot five out of five free throw attempts. Olivia Bradley led the team in rebounds, clutching six, while five total Gauchos got at least four. Maddie Naro also scored in double digits, placing ten, 

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The Gauchos hit the road on Thursday, Feb. 19 to face CSUN in Northridge at 7:00 p.m. before returning home on Feb. 21 to host Hawai'i at 2:00 p.m.