SAN LUIS OBISPO — Alexis Tucker scored a game-high 18 points, Anya Choice had her most efficient shooting night of the season, and Ila Lane grabbed her 800th career rebound, but UCSB women’s basketball came up just short against rivals Cal Poly Thursday night in a 69-64 loss.

The Gauchos remain in third place in the Big West at 7-3, and they’re 14-6 overall. The Mustangs are now 6-13 and 3-8.

UCSB trailed 56-46 going into the fourth quarter. The Gauchos halved the lead by the end, but couldn’t catch the Mustangs.

Less than a minute into the third quarter, Lane hauled in her first rebound of the night, the 800th of her career. She finished the evening with five boards, putting her career total at 804. Four more boards would give the Moraga native the tenth most rebounds in Gaucho women’s basketball history.

After senior Ila Lane was whistled for two quick fouls in the game’s first two minutes, the Gaucho bench picked up the scoring as Lane sat, with 11 of UCSB’s 17 first-quarter points coming from substitutes. The entire first half was a back-and-forth affair, with the three-happy home team’s five makes from beyond the arc helping them to a 37-31 edge at the break.

Junior guard Anya Choice opened the third quarter with a mini 5-0 run all by herself, pulling the Gauchos within one early in the frame. She finished the night with 16 points on 7-8 shooting, her most efficient performance since going 4-4 from the field against Hawai’i last January. 

UCSB did its best to stay close, but faced a 10-point deficit going into the fourth quarter. The Gauchos got themselves within four on multiple occasions in the final frame but fell just short of completing the comeback.

Sophomore guard Callie Cooper earned her first start of the season Thursday night; she finished with a game-high seven assists.

Anya Choice’s efficient 16 points are her second-highest total of the season, behind only the 17 she scored against Cal Poly at the Thunderdome on January 7

For the first time in conference play this season, all 10 Gauchos who took part in Thursday night’s game scored at least two points

UP NEXT

UCSB, (14-6, 7-3 Big West) returns to the Thunderdome on Saturday to take on CSUN. 

The Gauchos will be celebrating National Girls and Women in Sports Day on Saturday, welcoming all of UCSB’s women’s teams to the Thunderdome to be honored at the event and connect with girls in the community. 

As part of the celebration, Kelly Barsky, UCSB’s first female Director of Athletics will host a question-and-answer session with various student-athletes and coaches. All children under the age of 18 will receive free admission to Saturday’s game. Tip-off is scheduled for 4 p.m.