Despite a double-double by Sweets Underwood and career-highs in points from Kelsey Adrian and Melissa Zornig, the UCSB women’s basketball team lost in double overtime to Idaho, 64-63, on Saturday afternoon in the Thunderdome.
UCSB falls to 0-4 on the season with the defeat, which was the team’s second consecutive overtime loss. UCSB fell, 69-66, to Portland State on
Thursday. It is the first time since the 1995-96 season that the Gauchos played back-to-back overtime games.
Underwood’s basket with 17 seconds left in regulation gave UCSB a 50-48 lead, however the sophomore forward was whistled for a foul moments later and Yinka Olorunnife knocked down both foul shots to send the game to OT.
In the first overtime period Santa Barbara led 57-53 with 2:09 left on the second of Zornig’s free throws, but Rachele Kloke hit a jumper and
free throws with 17 seconds remaining by Shaena Kuehu sent the game to the second overtime period. It was the first double overtime game for
the Gauchos since last year when they defeated Cal State Fullerton, 60-59, at Titan Gym on Jan. 23.
Idaho took a 61-57 lead on Kloke’s jumper with 4:33 left in the second OT, however Zornig’s 3-pointer with 44 seconds left brought the game
within one. After getting a defensive stop with about 10 seconds left, UCSB’s Emilie Johnson fired a 3-pointer as time expired that just
missed, resulting in the defeat.
“It’s incredibly difficult,” UCSB head coach Lindsay Gottlieb said. “What we do is judged on wins and losses. We have to trust out process.
We need to win these games. This team knows that. We’re better because of these (last) two games. But that doesn’t make us feel any better with two overtime losses.”
Adrian finished with a team-best 15 points to go with nine rebounds while Underwood had 12 points and 13 rebounds. Zornig had 10 points.
Mekia Valentine had seven points, 10 rebounds and six blocked shots. Angelei Aguirre finished with seven assists and seven rebounds. Johnson had nine points, six assists and four rebounds.
The Gauchos finish their homestand next Sunday, Nov. 28 with a 2 p.m. game vs. Northern Colorado.
