The UCSB women’s basketball team made its first six shots in the fourth quarter to pull away from Hawaii in a 65-51 Big West Conference win Thursday night at the Thunderdome.
The Gauchos (10-6 overall, 4-3 in conference) were led by junior guard Alexis Tucker’s 19 points on 7 of 13 from the field, and got yet another double-double from junior center Ila Lane, who finished with 13 points (4 of 6 field goals) and 11 rebounds.
Senior point guard Danae Miller left the game midway through the second quarter and didn’t return, but guards Johnni Gonzalez and Anya Choice stepped up to handle the backcourt load.
Gonzalez tied a season-best with eight assists, while Choice went a perfect 4-for-4 from the field – all in the second half – for her season-high 11 points.
With the win, UCSB improves to 7-1 at home this season. The Rainbow Wahine fall to 3-2 in conference play.
It was just a four-point game with nine minutes left in the final period, when senior guard Lauren Lee’s left-handed layup started one of the Gauchos’ best offensive stretches of the season.
Back-to-back three-pointers from Choice and senior guard Taylor Mole pushed it to a 14-point lead. Choice made her fourth straight shot on the next possession, Tucker and Lane added another two layups and Mole’s free throws with under two minutes left made it a 20-point Gaucho advantage, 64-44.
The Gauchos shot a conference season-best 51.1 percent for the night, to Hawaii’s 32.1 percent. UCSB dominated the boards, 36-27.
Next week, the Gauchos head back on the road for games against UC Irvine (Thursday at 7 p.m.) and UC San Diego (Saturday at 4 p.m.).