Tal Sahar tied a career-high with 21 points and freshman Ila Lane notched her fourth straight double-double to lead the UCSB women’s basketball team to a 64-52 win over San Diego State on Tuesday at the Thunderdome.
Sahar made 7 of 13 shots, including 3 of 5 from the three-point line. She scored nine points in the fourth in the fourth quarter.
The Gauchos and Aztecs were neck-and-neck in the opening quarter, but San Diego State held the lead after 10 minutes thanks to forward Monique Terry’s buzzer-beating triple that put the visitors up 16-15.
UCSB redshirt junior guard Aliceah Hernandez knocked down a trey to give the Gauchos a 27-26 halftime lead.
The Aztecs began the third quarter with two consecutive three-pointers from guards Taylor Kalmer and Tea Adams to go ahead 32-27 just over a minute into the new half.
Sahar pulled the Gauchos even after hitting a triple and sinking two free throws to make the score 32-all.
Following a media timeout with just over three minutes to play in the third quarter, the Gauchos broke out of a 36-36 tie with a 10-5 run to go into the fourth, punctuated by a Sahar trey with 35 seconds left.
Santa Barbara cruised to its third win of the season in the fourth period, led by Sahar’s nine points, outscoring the Aztecs by seven to win 64-52.
Lane had a big night with 17 points and 12 rebounds.
Hernandez knocked down four three-pointers on six attempts to finish with 12 points.
The Gauchos head to Reno, Nev. To compete in the Nugget Classic Thanksgiving tournament. Their first game will take place on Friday at 4:30 p.m. against Stephen F. Austin. They will play either Nevada or Chicago State on Sunday.