Courtesy of UCSB Athletics
The UC Santa Barbara women’s basketball team delivered an incredible upset against the University of California, Irvine (UCI) Anteaters on Saturday, Feb. 28, in a stunning 70-62 win. The Gauchos’ managed to lead for 98% of the game, never dipping below a 78% chance to win in the last three quarters. The Anteaters, currently ranked No. 1 in the Big West with just three conference losses, were stunned by the Gauchos’ red-hot start and never recovered.
The Gauchos managed to play a near-perfect first half, with every Gaucho shooting over 50% in the first two periods and scoring a total 39 points. They were near automatic from all spots on the floor, scoring with ease on all three levels. Their numbers came back to earth in the second half, but the Gauchos would end the game on 50% from the field and 38% from 3, markedly better than their season averages of 42% from the field and 34% from 3.
“We’ve talked a lot the last couple weeks about just trying to get like 1% better every day. And I feel like they really latched onto it, and they’re really starting to believe they are still that team,” Head Coach Renee Jimenez said after the game. The Gauchos have now won four of their last five games in a strong stand to end the season.
The Gauchos delivered a near-knockout punch of a first quarter, moving the ball and opening up driving lanes early. UCSB played extremely fast and UCI struggled to keep up, with sophomore forward Olivia Bradley opening up a 7-3 Gaucho lead in the first two minutes of the game. On the other end, UCI couldn’t get past UCSB’s man-to-man defense, taking four 3-pointers in the first four minutes and missing all but one.
Once the avalanche began, UCI could do nothing but watch. UCSB ended the quarter at a total 82% from the field, capped off by an and-1 from freshman guard Chauncey Andersen that sent the Thunderdome into a frenzy and put the Gauchos up 24-9 at the end of the period.
In the second quarter the Gauchos kept their foot on the gas, determined to hold the lead. Junior guard Maddie Naro was unstoppable, delivering a pretty finger-roll with 5:15 left to put the Gauchos up 34-16. She would total 12 points and led the team in assists with 8. The energy in the building was electric, with the crowd coming to their feet as sophomore guard Zoe Shaw dropped in a 3 with less than a minute left to send the Gauchos into the break with a 39-22 lead.
However, in the third quarter, the momentum seemed to shift in the Anteaters’ favor. They came out with much more physical defense, taking advantage of the tired Gauchos as their shots began to fall short. Junior guard Shirel Nahum began to light it up shooting, totaling 18 points with four total 3s.
In the fourth quarter, UCI began to play extremely aggressive defense, full-court pressing on every possession, and the Gauchos couldn’t seem to even get the ball inbounds. Senior guard Skylar Burke, in her final home game of her collegiate career, dove for every loose ball and rebound in an effort to match the Anteaters’ physicality, but it wasn’t quite enough. UCSB’s home crowd was given a massive scare as a Nahum 3 brought UCI within 5 points with 1:15 left to play. However, Naro’s hustle and key free throws from junior forward Zoe Borter secured the Gauchos 70-62 win.
The Gauchos have cemented their place as sixth in the conference and will move into the last game of the season looking to knock off the University of Hawai’i at Manoa or California State University, Fullerton for a top five spot. In order to do so, they’ll have to beat UC San Diego on the road on Mar. 7 at 4 p.m.
