UCSB’s shooting woes continued Sunday afternoon and Loyola Marymount capitalized, cruising to a 65-40 nonconference women’s basketball victory at the Thunderdome before a crowd of 1,538.
The Gauchos (0-3) shot just 30 percent from the field while the Lions (2-2) shot 48 percent, getting plenty of offense on the interior against a UCSB team that was missing Mekia Valentine. The 6-foot-4 post player, the team leader in scoring, blocks and rebounds, was kept out due to a hand laceration she suffered in practice a few days ago.
In their last game against Nevada, the Gauchos shot just 26 percent.
The Lions opened the game on a 12-2 run in the first six minutes and never looked in the rear view mirror. Alex Cowling scored six of the first eight points and led Loyola Marymount with 17 points and five rebounds on the night.
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“They’re a veteran team and they’re really good,” UCSB coach Lindsay Gottlieb said. “They do a great job at execution.”
UCSB cut the lead to five points midway through the first half after Sweets Underwood hit a jumper at the top of the key, capping off a 7-0 run. Jordan Franey closed out the half with a strong inside post move to shave the Lion lead to nine, 29-20, going into the break.
Loyola Marymount opened up the second half just how they started the first — with Cowling performing a strong hop step, taking the contact and laying the ball up for a three-point play.
Emilie Johnson, who led UCSB in scoring with 10 points, helped cut the Lion lead to eight with a 3-pointer from the left corner less than two minutes into the second half.
“I felt very confident going into this game,” Johnson said. “We had a great week of practice.”
But the Lions soon began to pull away once again, going on a 15-2 run, capped off by back-to-back 3-pointers from each baseline, extending their lead to 19 points at 45-26 with just over 12 minutes to go. The lead got as big as 23 at the 10-minute mark, as Loyola Marymount continued to pound the ball inside with success.
A bright spot for the Gauchos was the debut of forward Chris Spencer, who had nine points and eight rebounds.
“I was anxious and I was nervous, but I went out there knowing what I had to do,” Spencer said. “I just tried to be mentally strong.”
Kentucky pays a visit to the Thunderdome on Wednesday, with tip-off set for noon.
