On paper, Sunday’s 55-37 victory over the now 1-12 Santa Clara Broncos doesn’t look like anything special for the UCSB women’s basketball team.
But with the Big West season just around the corner, head coach Lindsay Gottlieb knew how important it was for the Gauchos to snap a three-game losing streak before league play starts on Friday.
“What I’m looking at is, ‘are we taking the steps to be a championship caliber team?'” said Gottlieb, whose Gauchos went 15-1 last season on their way to a conference crown and automatic NCAA berth. “That’s what we’ve been talking about.”
And what are those steps?
“A commitment to defense. Every second of every possession of every game. And that has to be our identity because that will get you wins when you score 55 points.”
Indeed, the Gauchos struggled to get their 55 points, shooting only 35.7 percent from the floor — their second lowest mark of the season — but they managed to hold the Broncos to an even poorer rate of 26.7 percent.
“Today we didn’t do a lot of doubling,” Gottlieb noted. “We didn’t do anything crazy, we just flat-out guarded and I thought our intensity level and our energy level was far better than what it has been in the last two weeks.”
After starting the season at 3-3, UCSB had lost three straight to Pepperdine, Harvard and Kentucky. Santa Clara presented one last opportunity to right the ship before Long Beach State visits the Thunderdome on Friday.
“A 15-1 (conference) season does not just happen. We have to do everything in our power to make sure we’re playing at a championship level. We talked today about taking steps toward that goal and I think we did,” continued Gottlieb. “Today proved we’re committed to our defense and our rebounding,”
Lauren Pederson, a senior gaurd, scored a team-high 14 points and recorded five of UCSB’s season-high 12 steals.
As a team, the Gauchos outrebounded the Broncos 43-32 even without the services of 6-foot-4 Kat Suderman, who was out with back spasms.
Ashlee Brown grabbed nine rebounds to lead Santa Barbara and Jenna Green provided a presence on the post, scoring 11 points with two blocks and five rebounds.
Sara Majors paced Santa Clara with 17 points while leading-scorer Lena Gipson was limited to seven points — half her season average.
“(Santa Clara) is a lot better than their record. I was nervous about this game because they play really hard for their new coaching staff and they’ve been right there in several games,” Gottlieb said after the game. “You just know they’re going to get over that hump and start really seeing success and I just really didn’t want it to be here today.”
The first-year coach didn’t have to worry after the Gauchos went on a 10-1 run early in the second half, punctuated by two Chris Spencer 3-point shots, to extend a 27-16 halftime lead to a 37-19 blowout-in-the-making.
UCSB led by as many as 23 twice in the half and nine players were able to enjoy double-digit minutes of floor time.
One of those, speedy gaurd Sha’Rae Gibbons, scored six points in just her second game back from a thumb injury that had kept her out of the Gauchos’ first eight games.
Make no mistake, UCSB will be tested during the first weekend of conference play.
After Friday’s opener against Long Beach, UC Riverside — the media’s pick for conference champion — visits on Sunday afternoon.
