The two-time defending Big West champion UCSB women’s basketball team was chosen to capture its third consecutive conference crown in a preseason media poll released by the conference on Thursday.
The Gauchos, who have gone 30-2 in Big West play the past two seasons combined, received 10 of a possible 20 first-place votes and finished with 162 total points. UC Davis received six first-place votes and finished second overall with 155 points while Cal Poly garnered three first-place votes and 146 points.
Lindsay Gottlieb led the Gauchos to a Big West Championship in her first year with the Gauchos. The sophomore head coach was named Big West Conference Coach of the Year for her success.
“Every coach in America will tell you that preseason rankings on paper mean nothing and I’m no different,” said reigning Big West Coach of the Year, UCSB head coach Lindsay Gottlieb. “What I know that this team believes is that it is their mission to create their own story to reach the goals that they’ve set for themselves this season. We all live and breathe the rich tradition of Gaucho women’s basketball around here, but this group wants to earn a championship by putting the work in everyday.”
Despite losing five players – and four starters – from last year’s team that went 22-10 overall and 15-1 in the Big West, UCSB was the clear favorite to three-peat. Last season UCSB was chosen second in both the media and coaches preseason polls.
Senior guard/forward Jordan Franey, who is the team’s leading returning scorer and rebounder (8.0 ppg, 4.3 rpg) was chosen to the six-person preseason all-conference team.
UC Riverside, who tallied one first-place vote and 112 overall points, was picked fourth, followed by Long Beach State (99 points), Pacific (87), Cal State Fullerton (59), Cal State Northridge (41) and UC Irvine (39).
Joining Franey on the preseason all-conference squad were UC Davis’ Haylee Donaghe and Paige Mintun, Long Beach State’s Karina Figueroa and Whitney Fields and Cal Poly’s Kristina Santiago.
The Gauchos open their season with an exhibition game against Westmont on Wednesday, Nov. 4 at 7 p.m. in the Thunderdome. UCSB’s actual season-opener will be Friday, Nov. 13 when the Gauchos host Fresno State at 7 p.m. in the Thunderdome.
