MORAGA – Saint Mary’s Jasmine Smith poured in a career-high 27 points against the UCSB women’s basketball team on Friday night, leading the Gaels to a 77-53 victory in McKeon Pavilion.
The highly touted matchup between 6-foot-4 shot-blocking sensations
Mekia Valentine and Louella Tomlinson was overshadowed by Smith, who was
9 of 12 from the field, including 6 of 9 from three-point land. She led
four Gaels players in double digits.
Kelsey Adrian had a career-high 17 points for the Gauchos while Sweets
Underwood had 10 and Destini Mason had nine, the latter two giving solid
minutes off the bench.
UCSB falls to 1-5 overall while Saint Mary’s improves to 4-4.
UCSB, which had been holding opponents to a 34.1 shooting percentage
entering the game, watched Saint Mary’s shoot 52.9 percent from the
floor. The Gauchos shot just 35.1 percent and committed 19 turnovers.
The battle between Valentine, who entered the game second in the nation
in blocked shots, and Tomlinson, who recently set the NCAA all-time
blocked shots record, was more of an undercard. Valentine finished with
seven points, four rebounds and three blocked shots, while Tomlinson had
11 points, five rebounds and five blocked shots.
Saint Mary’s sprinted out to a 20-8 lead but Adrian made four successive
shots and brought UCSB close, as the Gauchos trailed 24-18 with 8:06
left in the first half. However the Gaels went on an 18-2 run before the
half ended, essentially ending the Gauchos’ evening.
The victory was No. 300 in the career of Saint Mary’s coach Paul Thomas.
