March 2, 2006

Box Score

Santa Barbara, Calif. - The Pacific women's basketball team fell at UC Santa Barbara, 76-49, on Thursday, March 2. With the loss the Tigers drop to 6-20 on the season and 3-10 in Big West play while the Gauchos improve to 14-12 overall and 9-4 in conference action.

A first half that was close for much of the way resulted in an 11 point lead for the Gauchos heading into the break. The Tigers struggled to find their offensive rhythm in the half, handcuffed by foul trouble in the post as three Tigers picked up three fouls through the opening period. Despite having the ability to break down the Gauchos off the dribble, Pacific was unable to take advantage of scoring chances when they presented themselves. Defensively, Pacific held UC Santa Barbara to just 32.4% shooting in the half, but 11 first half offensive rebounds led the Gauchos to their 11 point halftime lead.

Out of the gates the Gauchos steadily increased their lead, pushing the deficit to as much as 28 points, twice, before finally settling on the 27 point margin of victory that ended the game. Freshman Renee Roberts (Lodi, Calif.) was everywhere on the court for the Tigers throughout the game, but was hampered with foul trouble, resulting in just a 10 point effort on the night, eight of which came in the first half. She added five rebounds and two assists to the scorebook in 32 minutes of action.

On the night, sophomore Kelsey Lavender (Lake Oswego, Ore.) tied for a game-high 14 points, hitting 2-of-4 from distance in the game. As a team, Pacific was held to 30.6% shooting from the field and 28.6% shooting from behind the arc.

The Gauchos dominated play on the inside, capturing 43 rebounds, of which 18 were offensive. Three scorers reached the 14 point mark led inside by Jenna Green and Autumn Nichols. Outside, Karena Bonds added 14 as well and Ana Onaindia dropped in 11 off the bench for UC Santa Barbara. The Gauchos shot 36.5% from the field and 27.3% from downtown while hitting 24-of-31 from the line.

The Tigers will close out regular season play on Saturday, March 4 as they travel to San Luis Obispo, Calif. to take on the Mustangs of Cal Poly. Game time is scheduled for 4:00 pm.