Watch out Big West Conference — the defending champion UCSB women’s basketball team has a chip on its shoulder.
In Friday night’s Big West opener at the Thunderdome, Long Beach State was no match for an energized Gaucho squad that pulled away in the second half, claiming a 66-48 victory.
“Before the game, our coaches put together a highlight tape and it reminded us that in the media in the preseason, we were picked second,” explained junior Chris Spencer, part of a take-no-prisoners mentality coming off the bench.
“We feel like we have something to prove in that we are still Big West champions until someone comes and takes it from us.”
UC Riverside, the team picked to beat the Gauchos, makes a timely visit to the Thunderdome on Sunday at 2 p.m.
Against the 49ers, the Gauchos were revved up from the start, jumping out to an 8-0 lead.
“You get into conference play, and everybody’s adrenaline gets ratcheted up a bit and that’s what you expect,” said first-year UCSB head coach Lindsay Gottlieb, whose Gauchos improve to 5-6 on the season.
Long Beach managed to pull within three at 21-18 before UCSB used a 9-3 run to close out the half and reach the locker room with a 30-21 advantage. Lauren Pederson buried a 3-pointer at the buzzer to end the half on a high note.
“That was huge. I thought that was a momentum shifter,” Gottlieb said, crediting Whitney Warren for the kick-out and assist.
UCSB didn’t miss a beat in the second half, extending its lead to 21 mid-way through the period.
Bench players Sha’Rae Gibbons and Spencer combined to score 10-straight points in a two-minute stretch. Gibbons set up Spencer for a 3-pointer and then Spencer stole a ball and dished it to a streaking Gibbons for a breakaway layup.
Pederson finished with a game-high 16 points, adding six rebounds, four assists, and three steals. Off the bench, Gibbons poured in 14 points with a team-high six assists.
Overall, the UCSB bench outscored its counterpart 33-17.
Now the focus is on the Highlanders, who had won the conference the previous two seasons before the Gauchos reclaimed the crown last year.
“We know we have Riverside and we’re excited about that,” said Sha’Rae Gibbons after the game. “I’m excited that they have who they have back and we have who we have back.”
“Riverside is kind of our new rivalry and I love it.”
