MOSCOW, Idaho – In the second game of its two-game road trip, UCSB (0-2) struggled in a 64-42 loss at Idaho (1-0) on Sunday afternoon.
Makala Roper led UCSB with 13 points, sinking 5-11 shots including a three-pointer. Jasmine Ware netted nine points for the second consecutive game and also grabbed three rebounds.
Chaya Durr led the team in the rebounding category with five in her 15 minutes of play. The sophomore also paced the roster with a pair of steals.
Idaho led in the rebounding category with 47 boards compared to UCSB’s 34. The Vandals also took advantage of the 17 Gaucho turnovers and scored 21 points off those opportunities.
The Gauchos had a cold shooting night with a collective 27.3 percent shooting percentage, while Idaho finished a team 38.2 clip.
Idaho opened the game with eight unanswered points, as Makala Roper became the first Gaucho to score with a lay up at the 4:336 mark. Coco Miller later registered her first basket of the game with a triple, but the Vandals were quick to respond with back-to-back three pointers to grab a 17-5 advantage.
UCSB matched Idaho’s score of 13 points in the second quarter, as they got off to a strong start in the period with four unanswered points through the opening 2:40. Wright authored both scores with lay ups at the blocks, while the Gaucho defense forced a turnover and three missed shots for Idaho on the defensive end.
Ali Forde ended the Vandals’ scoring drought with a lay up following a block she recorded in the previous possession. Forde finished with 10 points and a game-high 14 rebounds along with four blocks.
In the third quarter, the Gauchos’ shooting struggles continued and were limited to a pair of lay ups, but they were able to get to the foul line and pour in eight points. Overall, UCSB went 9-15 at the charity stripe.
The Gauchos had their best shooting quarter in the fourth with a 35.7 clip. Ware did the bulk of the scoring in going 3-4 from the field including a shot from downtown.
UCSB will return to the Thunderdome on Thursday to host CSU Bakersfield at 7 p.m. The game will officially be the Gauchos’ first home contest of the 2015-16 season.
