UC Santa Barbara established itself as a giant-killer in women’s basketball with last week’s exhibition victory at Stanford University.
But the Gauchos played the role of giant pretty well, too, during Tuesday’s regular-season opener at the Thunderdome.
They shot 61.7%, made 14-of-25 three-pointers, and out-rebounded UC Santa Cruz 49-17 in a 101-26 rout over their NCAA Division 3 opponent.
“I tried to hold them back at 99 (points), but everyone on my staff was like, ‘Don’t you like to let them go?’” coach Renee Jimenez said.
And go they went, with top freshman recruit Karisma Flores converting both a three-pointer and a runner in the final 56 seconds to get UCSB into triple-digits.
Flores and fellow freshman guard Sarah Heyn combined for 31 points in their collegiate debuts, joining four other Gauchos in double figures.
“One of the things we’ve talked a lot about with our team is just the depth that we have,” Jimenez said after opening her third season as UCSB’s head coach. “It was obviously really nice to get all the freshmen in and get them some court minutes.
“Those four freshmen are really talented.
“There are a lot of guards and guys ahead of them, but they’ve come in every day and have worked their butts off.”
Flores, a four-star recruit from nearby Oak Park High School, finished with 14 points on Tuesday after having netted 17 in last Wednesday’s 65-56 upset at Stanford.
She was the only freshman to play in that game.
“She’s a slinger, right?” Jimenez said. “She’s gonna let it fly. She has great confidence.
“She came through the office today and I asked her, ‘When was the last time you played in the T-Dome?’
“She said, ‘It was when I was in the fifth grade, playing at halftime of a women’s game with a boys’ team.’
“Her mother recorded a cute little video of her scoring.”
Senior Zoe Borter, the leading scorer in the Stanford exhibition with 22 points, made a short-but-sweet appearance in Tuesday’s regular-season opener.
The senior forward made all four of her shots — three from three-point distance — and a pair of free throws to finish with 13 points in just 17 minutes of action.
Senior point guard Maddie Naro, her running mate since their high school days in Beaverton, Oregon, added 11 points, six assists and four steals in 18 minutes.
“They were the best veterans on the floor in that Stanford game for both teams,” Jimenez said. “They really brought in such great poise and gave our group such great confidence going into that.
“This is their team this year. The one thing Zoe and Maddie told me at the end of last season was, ‘We really want the team to become player-led,’ and they’ve done a great job at that.”
Santa Cruz scored 11 of its 26 points in the first quarter. The Banana Slugs struggled mightily after point guard Emilie Ngo, last year’s Coast to Coast Conference Player of the Year, left the game with a shoulder injury with three minutes left in the first half.
They shot just 17.6% as a team, making only 3-of-21 three-point attempts, and committed 23 turnovers.
“Santa Cruz’s two big kids, unfortunately, had knee injuries the last couple weeks — like season-ending — and they’re really good,” Jimenez said. “They had a good program last year, so it was kind of unfortunate.”
Jimenez was without the services of starting guard Zoe Shaw, but there were plenty of other Gauchos ready to fill in.
Heyn came off the bench late in the first quarter to score on a give-and-go play with University of Washington transfer Olivia Anderson.
Heyn wound up making 6-of-8 shots — 4-of-6 from three-point distance — to lead the Gauchos with 17 points. She also had four assists.
“Sarah was one of the top guards out of San Diego but wasn’t highly recruited,” Jimenez said of the former Westview High School star. “When we watched her play the last couple summers, there was something we saw that looked like the Gaucho grit.
“I’ve kind of titled her role this year as, ‘The Disruptor,’ and she’s really kind of leaned into that. Her defense has given her confidence offensively.”
Anderson, a 6-foot-6 senior transfer, also had a sterling Gaucho debut with 13 points, four rebounds and two blocked shots. She made both of her three-point attempts.
“I don’t think she and Nicole (Steiner, UCSB’s starting center) even took a shot at Stanford, but their presence defensively and with their rebounding really disrupted some of their bigs,” Jimenez said. “That’s initially what we brought Liv here to do … to really be a paint protector.
“But like you saw tonight, she has the ability to step out and shoot the three.”
Steiner, a transfer from Cal State Fullerton, and fellow sophomore Chauncey Andersen shared game-high honors in rebounds with seven apiece.
UC Irvine transfer Naomy Zonzon-Huyghe made 6-of-8 shots and a trio of free throws for 15 points while starting in Shaw’s place. She also had six rebounds, three assists and two steals.
“She’s our battery …. I always tell her, ‘I need you at full charge,’” Jimenez said. “She is not good at 70% charge. She has to be 100%.
“There was something about her — just her toughness and the energy she played with — that we really needed.
“She’s very physical … She speaks … She’s a wonderful teammate, and just another good addition and what we were looking for when we went out into the transfer portal.”
The Gauchos’ other transfer, guard Mauriana Hashemian-Orr from Saint Mary’s, contributed eight points, four assists, four rebounds and two steals off the bench.
UCSB will return to action Thursday with a 5 p.m. game at Pepperdine before returning home Monday for a 6 p.m. contest against Seattle.
“Pepperdine, I think, was picked third in the WCC, and Seattle is going to press for 40 minutes,” Jimenez said. “We knew playing three games (in seven days) would take a toll on our bodies, and how important it was to limit the minutes of some of those older guys tonight, so I was just really proud of our depth.
“Everyone came in and did a great job.”